The Supreme Court heard an urgent application from the Punjab government, requesting the removal of certain portions from its July 24 verdict in the Mubarak Ahmad Sani case. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, took up the matter. The other members were Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan. The bench accepted the Punjab government’s application and ordered the removal of paragraphs No 7, 42 and 49-C.
On Feb 6, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, annulled the conviction of Mubarak Sani who had been charged in 2019 under the Punjab Holy Quran (Printing and Recording) (Amendment) Act. The court observed in its ruling that the offence for which the defendant was convicted was not actually criminalized until 2021. As a result, the Supreme Court ordered the petitioner’s immediate release. This decision sparked what was described by the government and legal circles as a “malicious and defamatory campaign” against the chief justice, leading the Supreme Court to issue a public clarification.
On July 24, the Supreme Court, after considering the appeals from the Punjab government and other parties, reportedly affirmed that "the constitutional right to religious freedom is indeed subject to legal, moral, and public order constraints."