The Lahore High Court ruled that merely being a WhatsApp group member or administrator does not automatically create criminal liability, while individuals who upload, forward, or share illegal content remain personally responsible.
The Lahore High Court has delivered a significant ruling clarifying criminal liability in WhatsApp group-related cases, stating that merely being a member or administrator of a WhatsApp group does not, by itself, constitute a criminal offense.
The court observed that criminal responsibility cannot be imposed solely because an individual belongs to a WhatsApp group or serves as its administrator. Instead, the person who uploads, forwards, or shares illegal or offensive content is personally responsible for those actions under the law.
The ruling came while the court dismissed the post-arrest bail petition of Syed Abdul Mannan, an accused in a cybercrime case investigated by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The case involves allegations of spreading blasphemous content through WhatsApp.
In its judgment, the court emphasized that simply remaining silent in a WhatsApp group or being present in the group is insufficient to establish criminal liability. Investigators must present evidence linking an accused directly to the creation, upload, forwarding, or distribution of unlawful content.
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