SHC rejects appeal against Mahrang Baloch’s acquittal in sedition case

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has dismissed a provincial government appeal challenging the acquittal of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr Mahrang Baloch in a sedition case, ruling that the appeal was not maintainable.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi and comprising Justice Miran Muhammad Shah, heard the matter on Monday. Advocate Jibran Nasir represented Mahrang before the court.

During the hearing, the bench questioned the prosecution’s authority to challenge the acquittal, noting that the original complaint had been filed by a private individual. The judges asked why the state had filed the appeal instead of the complainant.

The prosecution argued that the trial court had overlooked important facts while acquitting Mahrang. It maintained that the public prosecutor had informed the anti-terrorism court (ATC) about the evidence against her, which should have been examined during a full trial.

The government’s counsel also contended that the ATC had acted improperly by accepting Mahrang’s acquittal application before formal charges were framed.

Mahrang was booked by Quaidabad police in Karachi’s Malir district on October 11, 2024, following allegations that she had made statements against security institutions and incited people. The case was registered on a complaint by local resident Asad Ali Shams, who accused her of encouraging violence in the area.

The first information report included provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code relating to sedition, rioting, unlawful assembly, promoting enmity, defamation and statements likely to cause public mischief.

Mahrang subsequently sought acquittal under Section 265-K of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Karachi ATC-V accepted her application and acquitted her. The provincial prosecution challenged that decision before the SHC in December 2025.

Mahrang is currently imprisoned in Quetta in connection with other cases. In June, an anti-terrorism court in Quetta sentenced her and another BYC leader to life imprisonment in a case related to the death of a security personnel during a protest in Gwadar in 2024. Her challenge to that conviction remains pending before the Balochistan High Court.