Staff Reporter:
QUETTA: In a surprising turn of events, the session judge in Quetta has ordered the acquittal of Hidayat Khilji and his brother Khalil Khilji, key accused in the well-known video scandal that rocked the Marriabad Nichari area of the provincial capital more than two years ago. The siblings were arrested for allegedly producing nude videos of girls, an accusation vehemently denied by both.
Court Declared Prosecution Failed
The court, in its recent ruling, declared that the prosecution failed to substantiate the case against the accused, leading to their acquittal. The decision marks a stark departure from the previous verdict by Judicial Magistrate-7, who, on October 11 last year, sentenced the Khilji brothers to three years in prison and imposed a five-lakh fine on each.
Challenging the initial judgment, the accused took their case to the Session Court Quetta, where lawyer Ayaz Zahoor successfully argued for the rejection of the trial court’s decision. The session judge concluded that the prosecution could not adequately prove the charges in the video scandal case, ultimately leading to the acquittal of Hidayatullah and Khalil.
Accused Had Allegedly Confined A Girl In Their House
The controversy surrounding the case further intensified as it was revealed that the accused had allegedly confined a girl in their house, producing an indecent video of her on December 27, 2021. Additional indecent videos of other girls were reportedly recovered from the accused during the investigation.
The initial verdict triggered widespread protests in Quetta, with members of civil society and political parties demanding exemplary punishment for the accused. The unexpected acquittal has reignited public outcry, raising questions about the effectiveness of the legal proceedings and the justice system’s ability to address such sensitive cases.
As the community awaits further details on the court’s decision, concerns about the implications for the victims and the broader issue of privacy and security of individuals in the digital age persists.
