A district and sessions court in Karachi sentenced on Thursday a man to life imprisonment for desecrating the Holy Quran.

Additional District and Sessions judge Shahid Ali Memon announced the judgement. The court sentenced the accused, Ali Haider, to life imprisonment after the prosecution successfully proved the charges against him.

On June 4, 2021, the accused was apprehended in the city’s Zia Colony while committing the act of desecration.

The prosecution stated that Haider was found desecrating the holy book after Fajr prayers. A case was registered against him at the Korangi Police Station.

Under the legislation, insulting the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) can be punished by death, while desecrating the Quran can earn a life sentence.

“Whoever wilfully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Qur’an or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable with imprisonment for life,” states Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code.

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In June, a mob lynched a man over alleged desecration of the Quran in the Madyan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district. Eight people were injured in the unrest.

Last year, the Senate passed a bill to increase the punishment for using derogatory remarks against revered personalities — including the Holy Prophet’s (Peace Be Upon Him) family, wives and companions, and the four caliphs — from three years of imprisonment to at least 10 years in jail.