A sessions court on Friday granted interim bail to YouTuber Rajab Butt in a blasphemy case in Karachi, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.
Rajab Butt approached the Sessions Court (Central) seeking interim bail in a case lodged against him at Haidery Market police station in Karachi.
After hearing arguments, the court approved interim bail against a surety bond of Rs100,000.
During the hearing, defence counsel Mian Ashfaq told the court that there was no evidence available against the accused and argued that the case did not fulfil the requirements of Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
He maintained that the authority to initiate such proceedings lies with the provincial or federal government, and no such complaint had been filed by either.
Speaking to the media on court premises, Rajab Butt said the video on the basis of which the case was registered had already been made by nearly 200,000 people before him.
He added that he would exercise greater caution in the future.
Rajab Butt also rejected claims circulating on social media that he had been deported from England, asking for the record to be corrected.
“I was not removed from England,” he said.
His counsel stated that anyone could file a case on such a sensitive matter despite lacking legal authority, adding that the defence was prepared to face the courts and would seek dismissal of the case. “There is no evidence in this matter,” the lawyer reiterated.