The Lahore High Court has directed the investigation officers that during the course of their investigations they should make sure about the sound mental health condition of the accused in cases related to religious beliefs, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

The court has devised rules for an investigation officer probing cases pertaining to religious beliefs. The court directed the IO to first ascertain whether the accused was mentally sound or not. 

LHC Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh released an 11-page written order of the judgement which quashed a blasphemy case registered against a citizen in Mianwali police station. 

The justice declared the verdict as judicial precedence. 

The LHC registrar has been directed to send the copy of the judgement to the Punjab IG police. 

According to the verdict, if police got suspicious about the mental condition of the accused, they should psychologically examine him from a relevant forum. It usually happens that the mental condition of a blasphemer is not sound. A person dreams lots of dreams in night over which he does not have any control. A person cannot be punished for his dreams, the judgement states.

It says that in Pakistan, law protects the mentally-challenged persons. Such persons should be saved from punishment and they should be treated. 

According to Sigmund Freud, dreams are our desires which we want to fulfill in our life. Sometimes our mind hides our bad desires and they come to mind in the shape of strange dreams.

A person who is mentally-challenged and can’t defend himself, he cannot be tried, the judgement concluded. 

 

Reporter Malik Ashraf