A judicial magistrate in Karachi has issued non-bailable warrants for internet personality Sahil Adeem in a defamation case.
Judicial Magistrate (South) Sher Muhammad issued the warrants following the submission of a final charge sheet against Adem by the investigating officer, Waqar Ahmed.
The controversy arose after an old video of the internet personality went viral on social media, in which he was heard making derogatory remarks against the Sindhi community.
He has been booked for offences under Sections 153 (promoting enmity between different groups), 505(1)(c) (intent to incite) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 512 (record of evidence in absence of accused) of the criminal procedure code.
Due to his failure to appear in court, the magistrate has instructed the investigating officer to arrest him and present him in court by September 24.
According to state prosecutor Abdul Rahman Theem, a case was registered against Adeem at the City Court Police Station on July 12, following a complaint by Advocate Abdul Fattah for “hurting the sentiments of the Sindhi community.”
The complainant stated in the FIR that Adem allegedly attempted to incite a conflict between the Sindhi and Punjabi communities, leading to significant backlash against him on social media and beyond.
The investigating officer informed the magistrate that although the Islamabad High Court had directed the internet personality to approach the competent court in Karachi, he still did not participate in the investigation or appear before the relevant court.
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On July 15, Adeem secured protective bail from the Islamabad High Court for 15 days with a surety bond of Rs20,000.
It merits here to mention that PPP lawmaker Marvi Faseeh presented a resolution against the internet personality in the Sindh Assembly Secretariat, citing his allegedly derogatory remarks against women.
