- Mazari, Chattha booked in a case registered by the NCCIA.
- Couple attempted to incite divisions via tweets, alleges FIR.
- Petitioners directed to respect the decorum of the court.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the sentences of lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to controversial tweets.
In January, a district and sessions court in the federal capital sentenced the couple to a total of 17 years in prison each under different sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) — just a day after their arrest in another case. The couple then moved the IHC against their sentence in early February.
Mazari and Chattha were booked in a case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Peca and were subsequently indicted on October 30.
A first information report (FIR) alleged that the couple attempted to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.
In its decision today, the top court granted bail to the lawyer couple against surety bonds worth Rs200,000.
The Supreme Court said the bail was granted to the couple until the final decision on the case pending before the Islamabad High Court.
During the proceedings, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan remarked: “Both are lawyers; we are upholding their dignity.”
The judge also directed the petitioners to respect the decorum of the court, saying there is a difference between a lawyer and an ordinary citizen.
