TV channel faces FIR onslaught

TV channel faces FIR onslaught The Newspaper's Staff Reporter Published about 11 hours ago KARACHI: A sessions court ordered on Wednesday registration of a case against a television channel for airing objectionable content in a morning show. The order was issued on an application filed by a lawyer under Section 22-A of the Criminal Procedure Code for registration of the case under the blasphemy law against the management of Geo TV, the host of the show and other people responsible. The applicant said that he had approached the station house officer of Mithadar police station for lodging the case, but police did not entertain his plea. After hearing arguments of the applicant and police, Karachi South District and Sessions Judge Ahmed Saba asked the SHO to record the statement of the complainant under Section 154 of the CrPC and register the first information report (FIR). Our Staff Reporter in Lahore adds: Old Anarkali police registered a case against Geo TV’s owner, the show’s host, the actress and her husband who attended the show and five management personnel for hurting people’s religious sentiments. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Advocate Sardar Aftab Ahmad. Our Staff Correspondent in Faisalabad adds: Kotwali police in Faisalabad also booked the head of the channel and participants of the show under Sections 295-A, 295-C, 298-A and 34. The District Bar Association’s secretary Ijaz Ahmed had filed a petition in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shahid Bashir on May 14. The court sent the petition to Kotwali police with a directive to proceed in accordance with the law. Kotwali police had submitted its reply before the judge that a case on the same allegations had been registered at the Margalla police station. Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2014