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LAHORE, Nov 27 (APP):The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday suspended the three-year sentence awarded to Salman Murtaza under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and ordered his release on bail against surety bonds worth Rs100,000.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Sardar Ali Akbar Dogar heard the plea seeking suspension of the sentence. Advocate Mian Dawood represented the convict.
During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that the trial court had convicted Salman Murtaza on allegations of stealing and sharing objectionable photos of his cousin. However, both the complainant and the alleged victim had testified that no material was shared by him before the trial court.
Counsel further submitted that the prosecution failed to prove any allegation during trial, yet the trial court handed down a three-year imprisonment. He maintained that Murtaza had been falsely implicated by relatives to deprive his mother of her property. He also noted that under the law, any sentence of three years or less is eligible for suspension and bail.
After examining the record and hearing arguments, the bench suspended the sentence and ordered Murtaza’s release upon submission of Rs100,000 surety bonds.