Hindu teacher acquitted in blasphemy case after five years in Pakistan

Karachi:  A Hindu teacher, charged with blasphemy in 2019 in the Ghotki district of Sindh in Pakistan, was ordered by a court to be released immediately if not wanted in any other case, a media report said.

The court acquitted the accused on the grounds that the prosecution failed to establish a case against the him, The Express Tribune reported.

“It is a cardinal principle of law that when the prosecution fails to establish the case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt and there are facts and circumstances leading to an inference other than the guilt of the accused, its benefit has to go to him not as a matter of grace but as his right,” said the judgement.

The relatives, community members and friends of the teacher have expressed concerns over his security, as they believe that his life is in danger.

“He was falsely accused of blasphemy in 2019 and incarcerated for nearly five years, but has finally been acquitted and ordered to be released by the court,” said Sukh Dev Hemnani, a board member of the Sindh Human Rights Commission, The Express Tribune reported.

“We are trying to arrange security for him and his family,” he told The Express Tribune, adding that the court reserved the verdict in the case during its last hearing, but released the verdict on Friday.

“His life is in danger as anyone