LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has ruled that simply being part of a WhatsApp group, or even running one as an admin, is not enough on its own to land someone in criminal trouble.
The order was passed by Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh in a detailed 13-page judgment, issued while turning down the post-arrest bail plea of Syed Abdul Mannan, an accused in a cybercrime case being pursued by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Alongside the ruling, the court also asked the trial court to wrap up proceedings without further delay.
Explaining the reasoning behind the verdict, Justice Sheikh made it clear that the law comes down on whoever actually uploads, forwards or shares objectionable, illegal or blasphemous content — not on everyone who happens to be sitting in the same group. Just being a group member, the judgment notes, or staying quiet while something inappropriate is shared, does not automatically mean a person had criminal intent.
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The court also tackled a question that comes up often in such cases: what about the group admin? Here too, Justice Sheikh was unambiguous — holding the admin’s position does not, by itself, make someone criminally liable. What actually counts is whether that person played any direct role in spreading unlawful material. Being in charge of the group is not the same as being guilty.
Justice Sheikh observed that the FIA’s technical report, at least at this stage, seemed credible enough to link Mannan to the allegations against him, and on that basis, his bail application was rejected.
