The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday dismissed an appeal by the provincial government against the acquittal of Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mahrang Baloch in a sedition case. The court declared the appeal non-maintainable, meaning it could not be heard in its current form, so the acquittal stands. The SHC Mahrang appeal was filed by the state after a Karachi anti-terrorism court (ATC) cleared her of the charges.
Why the court set the appeal aside
Mahrang was booked on terrorism and sedition charges by Quaidabad police in Malir district on October 11, 2024. The first information report (FIR) accused her of inciting people by making allegations against security institutions. The complaint was lodged by a resident, Asad Ali Shams, who said she was inciting violence in his area.
A two-judge bench headed by Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi, with Justice Miran Muhammad Shah, heard the appeal. The court observed that the complainant was a private individual and asked how the prosecution could appeal the acquittal instead of the complainant. Advocate Jibran Nasir appeared for Mahrang.
The prosecution's arguments
The prosecution said the ATC had ignored facts when it accepted Mahrang's application for acquittal. It argued that the public prosecutor had told the ATC there was clear evidence against her, and that such evidence should have been produced during trial. It also said deciding the application before charges were framed was inappropriate.
Mahrang had filed the acquittal application under Section 265-K of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the country's main criminal procedure law, before ATC-V, which allowed it. Acting prosecutor general Muntazir Mehdi challenged that order in the SHC in December 2025.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- October 11, 2024: Quaidabad police in Malir register an FIR against Mahrang on terrorism and sedition charges.
- More than a year later: a Karachi ATC acquits her on her application under Section 265-K.
- December 2025: Acting prosecutor general Muntazir Mehdi challenges the acquittal before the SHC.
- Monday: the SHC dismisses the state's appeal as non-maintainable.
- June: a Quetta ATC hands Mahrang and another BYC leader two life sentences in a case linked to the death of a security personnel during a 2024 protest in Gwadar. Her challenge is pending before the Balochistan High Court.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sindh High Court ne Mahrang Baloch ke sedition case mein state ki appeal khaarij kar di hai, is liye unki bariat barqarar hai. Yeh case 2024 mein Quaidabad police ne darj kiya tha aur Karachi ki ATC ne unhe bari kar diya tha. Adalat ne kaha ke FIR darj karane wala shakhs nijee tha, is liye state ki appeal ka jawaz nahi banta. Mahrang ka doosra case Balochistan High Court mein zair-e-sunwai hai.
