Blasphemy Law: Supreme Court Shariat appellate bench rejects petition

The Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition, challenging Article 295 C of Blasphemy Law due to non-prosecution.
A five-member Shariat Appellate Bench of the apex court, comprising Justice M. Javed Buttar, Justice Mohammad Farrukh Mahmood, Justice Ghulam Rabbani, Justice Allama Khalid Mahmood and Justice Rashid Ahmed Jallandhury, heard the petition of Allama Bishop L Tasleem Vs the Federation.
Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Agha Tariq informed the court that neither the petitioner nor his counsel was present in the court on which the bench rejected the petition due to non-prosecution.
He said that after the rejection of the appeal, the 1991 verdict of the Federal Shariat Court had become operative. According to the judgement, an accused of blasphemy would be given death sentence.
The DAG said that the appeal was withdrawn in Nawaz Sharif's tenure and a bill was tabled in the National Assembly to amend it in the light of court's verdict, but the National Assembly was dissolved. Bishop L Tasleem had filed an application in the Supreme Court against the Shariat Court's verdict.