The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court has granted bail to controversial preacher and self-styled religious scholar Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza in a prominent case accusing him of spreading religious hatred.
Justice Sadaqat Khan ordered Mirza’s immediate release and instructed him to submit two surety bonds of Rs500,000 each.
The case began after the FIA Cyber Crime Wing filed a complaint alleging that Mirza had made disrespectful remarks about revered religious figures. During the hearing, the FIA’s counsel claimed that a formal fatwa had already been issued against Mirza, but the court ruled that such matters fall under the trial court’s jurisdiction. The bench clarified that the current hearing dealt strictly with bail, while any evidence or fatwa would be examined during trial proceedings.
Mirza has also challenged the FIA’s investigation in a separate petition, naming both the FIA and the Punjab Quran Board as respondents. He argues that officials initiated the inquiry without notifying him and even sent an old social media clip to the Punjab Quran Board to seek a fatwa.
His petition strongly criticizes the Board’s response, saying it declared him sinful despite lacking the authority to issue religious decrees, as its mandate is limited to reviewing Quranic publications.
Earlier, Muhammad Ali Mirza’s legal team urged the court to annul the fatwa and halt the FIA’s probe altogether.
