RAWALPINDI: Additional District and Sessions Judge (Special Court Anti-Rape/Investigation and Trial), Rawalpindi, Muhammad Tariq Ayub, has sentenced a husband to four years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 400,000 in a case involving the circulation of objectionable and indecent videos of his wife on social media.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered a case against Jawad Hussain on the complaint of the victim woman under Sections 21 and 24 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 and Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The accused was charged with sharing private and objectionable videos of his wife online, as well as blackmailing and harassing her.
The victim woman was represented by Advocates Buzurg Shah and Qaisra Malik. During the final arguments Tuesday, the woman’s lawyers contended that the accused blackmailed and harassed their client by sharing her private videos and personal content via WhatsApp and other electronic means. On this occasion, the prosecution also presented digital forensic evidence, technical analysis reports, electronic records and witness statements before the court. Based on the arguments of the plaintiff’s lawyer and the prosecution record, the court sentenced the accused to 2.2 years’ imprisonment each under Sections 21 and 24 of the PECA Act, and a total fine of Rs 400,000. In default of payment of the fine, the accused will undergo an additional 6.6 months’ imprisonment.
According to the verdict, the sentences shall run concurrently, while the court granted the accused the benefit of Section 382B of the Criminal Procedure Code, under which the period already spent in detention will be included in the sentence. The court further remarked that the accused, being the husband, had taken undue advantage of the trust and confidence of the victim woman and violated her honour, dignity and privacy. The court observed that incidents of cybercrime and online harassment are increasing day by day and strict action against such offences is essential.
