A hearing was held by Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo in the case concerning the promotion of gambling against YouTuber Saad-ur-Rahman, also known as Ducky Bhai, his wife Aroob Jatoi, and other accused.
The magistrate set January 16 as the date for framing charges against all the accused, including Ducky Bhai, and copies of the challan (police report) were provided to the defendants.
During the proceedings, the court remarked to Ducky Bhai, “Vlogging on your YouTube channel without permission is illegal.” The magistrate added that he should have filed a formal application in court seeking permission for vlogging.
Responding, Ducky Bhai said he believed he had already been granted permission through an affidavit submitted in the previous hearing. The court replied, “How can you grant yourself permission? Only the court has the authority to allow this. You should have filed a proper application.”
The court then asked, “Do you not want to do vlogging?” to which Ducky Bhai’s lawyer responded, “We don’t understand what permission we are supposed to seek. We are not vlogging on our channel at the moment.”
The court clarified that Ducky Bhai’s YouTube channel is the subject of the case and that it has been seized by the NCCIA (National Coordination Centre for Internet and Cybercrime Affairs). The magistrate said that while Ducky Bhai may vlog, uploading videos on this particular channel is illegal.
The NCCIA has already presented the challan in court against the accused for promoting online gambling.
The case against Ducky Bhai stems from allegations of promoting online gambling through his social media platforms, particularly YouTube. The case was lodged under Pakistan’s cybercrime laws, with the NCCIA filing the challan against Ducky Bhai, his wife Aroob Jatoi, and other associates.
Authorities claim that the accused used their channel and social media reach to promote betting apps, targeting a large online audience, which constitutes a violation of Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.
The controversy began after investigations showed that Ducky Bhai’s YouTube channel was being used for content that indirectly encouraged users to engage in gambling.
NCCIA’s inquiry revealed that the accused collaborated to market these platforms and engage viewers with promotional content, which led to the initiation of formal criminal proceedings. As part of the investigation, the authorities also froze the YouTube channel in question to prevent further uploads and ensure that the alleged illegal activities could not continue.
Ducky Bhai’s wife, Aroob Jatoi, has been named as one of the accused in the case due to her alleged role in managing the channel’s content and facilitating the promotion of gambling-related material.
While the extent of her direct involvement in creating content remains under investigation, NCCIA included her in the challan citing collaborative responsibility in the operations of the channel.
This marks a significant development as it highlights that family members involved in digital content operations may also face criminal accountability under Pakistani cybercrime regulations.
In prior hearings, Ducky Bhai appeared before Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo alongside his wife and other accused.
On this hearing today, the court emphasized that vlogging and uploading videos on a seized channel without explicit court permission is illegal, highlighting procedural violations.
Ducky Bhai attempted to justify his vlogging activity by referring to a prior affidavit submitted in an earlier hearing; however, the court clarified that permission from the court is mandatory and cannot be self-granted.
The court also asked pointed questions regarding whether the accused intended to continue vlogging on the seized channel, to which their lawyer responded that no content was currently being uploaded.
Reporter: Jamaluddin Jamali