Karachi court rejects Iqrarul Hassan’s bail plea in cybercrime case

A judicial magistrate in Karachi on Thursday rejected the bail application of television anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan

A judicial magistrate in Karachi on Thursday rejected the bail application of television anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan in a cybercrime case involving allegations of disseminating anti-state, false and defamatory content through social media.

Hassan was arrested last week by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and booked under several provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The allegations against him have yet to be established in court.

The case was registered under Sections 9, 10, 20, 24 and 26-A of PECA, which cover offences including glorification of an offence, cyberterrorism, offences involving the dignity of a natural person, cyberstalking and the dissemination of false or fake information.

Earlier this week, the court sent Hassan to judicial custody until October 26 after declining the NCCIA’s request for an extension of his physical remand. The magistrate observed that the agency had already been given sufficient time to question the accused and had not presented compelling grounds for further physical custody.

Hassan was initially produced before the court on October 17 after completing four days of physical remand. The NCCIA had sought an additional 10 days for interrogation, but the magistrate allowed only two more days.

During the investigation, the agency informed the court that forensic examination of Hassan’s seized digital devices was under way. According to its remand report, the devices contained approximately 1,145.89 gigabytes of data, which had been handed over to the forensic team for analysis.

The agency said investigators were examining social media accounts, applications, email accounts, stored files and communications to identify material relevant to the case. It also sought to investigate the origin of the alleged posts and determine whether any financial connections or cross-border links existed.

The magistrate had previously rejected a separate application filed by Hassan’s defence seeking his discharge from the case under Section 63 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The NCCIA has alleged that the disputed content was intended to provoke public opposition to constitutional implementation and could lead to panic, disorder and unrest. Hassan had also been critical of government policies on social media.