Karachi judicial magistrate rejects bail plea of anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan

Karachi: A local court in Pakistan rejected TV anchor Iqrarul Hassan's bail plea in a cybercrime case on Thursday. Hassan was apprehended last week for allegedly spreading anti-state, false, and defamatory content via his official social media accounts, prosecuted under various sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

According to the judicial magistrate's order, the bail application filed under Section 497 of the CrPC was dismissed. The notice of the bail application was served to the additional director of NCCIA, the National Crime Records Bureau. Earlier, Hassan was sent to prison on judicial remand after NCCIA requested an eight-day extension of his physical custody.

However, the judge noted that sufficient physical custody time had already been granted. The court issued a notice to NCCIA regarding Hassan's bail application filed by his defense counsel and fixed the matter for hearing on Oct 21. On Oct 17, Hassan faced the magistrate after completing his initial four-day physical remand. NCCIA requested additional ten days for questioning, but the magistrate limited it to two more days.

The agency's remand report stated that the investigation was making progress, but several crucial aspects needed further examination based on the forensic analysis of Hassan's seized digital devices and records from various departments. The NCCIA sought extra custody to trace the origin, relation, financial correlation, and cross-border linkages of the posts.

The magistrate emphasized that collecting digital footprints and forensic evidence required time, and discharging an accused during the investigation could hinder the process. Hassan was booked under sections 9 (glorification of an offense), 10 (cyberterrorism), 24 (cyberstalking), and 26A (Punishment for false and fake information) of Peca for allegedly inciting public against constitutional implementation and causing panic, disorder, and unrest.