A Lahore sessions court sentenced a man to death on Wednesday for committing blasphemy against the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), other Islamic figures and religious rituals.

The first information report (FIR) — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com — of the case was filed at the Shahdara Town police station on September 29, 2020, by a member of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan party under Sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 295C (use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet [PBUH]) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

“I was informed that for the past several months [the convict] … has been mocking the Holy Prophet [PBUH] and burning religious symbols and images of religious sites,” the FIR said. “When I met the man, he used blasphemous words in my presence.”

The FIR said the man also disrespected Islamic rituals and obligations.

According to the court order announced and issued today by Additional Sessions Judge Syed Shahzad Muzaffar Hamdani, the man was formally indicted on January 27, 2021.

The judge sentenced the man to death by hanging and subject to a Rs500,000 fine for violating section 295C.

“In case of non-payment of fine, the accused … will undergo imprisonment for six months and will not be released until the payment of fine,” the order said, adding that the convict was able to appeal the verdict.

The judge ordered that the convict’s sentence warrant be issued in the name of the superintendent of Lahore’s Camp Jail for serving the punishment to the man while a reference be sent to the Lahore High Court to confirm the death sentence.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Pakistan, where even unsubstantiated accusations can incite public outrage and lead to lynchings.

On January 20, two men were sentenced to death by an Islamabad district and sessions court for “proliferating blasphemous content” online.

Two warrants of the commitment of conviction to the Adiala Jail superintendent were issued for the two convicts by Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka. They said the two were sentenced to death by hanging for violating Section 295C of the PPC.

“[The] convict shall be hanged by his neck till he is dead subject to confirmation of death punishment by honourable Islamabad High Court,” both warrants read. The judge noted that both convicts had the right to file an appeal in the Islamabad High Court within 30 days.

They were also sentenced to life in prison under 295B (defiling, etc, of the Holy Quran) with a fine of Rs100,000; three years imprisonment under 298A (use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of holy personages) with a fine of Rs500,000 and seven years of “rigorous imprisonment” for violating Section 11 (hate speech) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) with a fine of Rs100,000.

The country has witnessed a sharp increase in the prosecution of “online blasphemy” cases, with private vigilante groups bringing charges against hundreds of young individuals for allegedly committing blasphemy.