Court extends judicial remind of 14-year-old Rimsha by 14 days

A trial court in Islamabad on Friday extended the judicial remand of Rimsha Masih, who had been accused of blasphemy, to 14 days.

The girl, who is said to be suffering from Down’s syndrome, was presented in the court of judicial magistrate Islamabad Inamullah Khan.

The magistrate directed the investigation officer to produce the case’s challan. Upon which, the investigation officer said that the investigation had not been concluded and requested that more time be given.

Granting the request, the court extended the girl’s judicial remand for two weeks and directed the officer to conclude the case’s investigation at the earliest.

Manir Jafri, the police investigation officer said the girl was produced in the court of a magistrate where they requested an extension of two week in her judicial remand.

“We wanted more time for further investigation and the court accepted our request”, he added.

Counsel for Rimsha Tahir Naveed Chaudhry while speaking to the media said the court’s decision was procedural, since her initial detention ended the day before. He hoped that the minor will be released on bail Saturday.

Rimsha is belonged to the Christian community who has been held since Aug 16 under the strict blasphemy laws. She was accused of burning papers containing verses from the Quran.

It is vital to mention here that another hearing is scheduled for Saturday to decide on a bail application.

The hearing will also decide whether to accept a medical report that said Rimsha is 14-year-old and has a mental age below her actual age.

If the court accepted the medical report, the case would be treated under juvenile law,

Earlier on Thursday, Additional and District Session judge Jawad Abbas heard the case and delayed a bail hearing after a lawyer challenged a medical report pertaining to the girl’s age and mental condition.

The judge while adjourning the hearing till Saturday sought clarification on how the report was conducted.

A medical report submitted Tuesday put her age at 14, which makes her a minor. But a lawyer representing the man accusing the girl of burning the Quran challenged the report.

However, the counsel for Rimsha Masih told the court that the medical was conducted by a 14 prominent doctor’s team.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Aug 31 2012. Filed under National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.