The Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted 10-day protective bail to YouTuber Rajab Butt and TikToker Nadeem Mubarak, also known as Nani Wala, on Wednesday in multiple cases related to gambling apps, cybercrime and other allegations after they surrendered before the court.
Justice Raja Inam Ameen Minhas approved the bail after the social media influencers appeared before the IHC after reaching Pakistan from London.
The development comes a day after the IHC granted protective bail to the two till December 10 (today), in response to a petition filed by Butt and Mubarak’s relatives, to ensure the content creators were not arrested upon their arrival in Pakistan.
Their counsel informed the court yesterday that Butt and Mubarak had been abroad for several months and feared arrest upon landing at Islamabad International Airport.
He argued that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other departments had registered several cases against them, but under the law the petitioners were entitled to seek relief from the relevant forum before any arrest.
After hearing the arguments, the court approved one-day protective bail and restrained the authorities from arresting the petitioners at the airport. The judge further directed both influencers to appear before the IHC today to mark their presence so that proceedings in the pending cases could move forward.
Meanwhile, Mian Ali Ashfaq, who represents Butt, also clarified that the YouTuber had not been deported from the UK and was returning to Pakistan of his own free will.
According to official records, the two are nominated in several FIRs registered under various cybercrime provisions, including allegations related to operating or promoting gambling applications, misuse of digital platforms and online harassment. FIA had earlier issued multiple notices, but their stay abroad meant no substantial progress could be made in the investigations.
In September this year, Butt was booked by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for allegedly promoting online gambling apps on social media.
Nadeem was also booked by the NCCIA for allegedly promoting gambling apps on his social media, but he was also arrested in September for displaying a fake registration number – ‘IK-804’ – on his car.
On being quizzed, he couldn’t satisfy the police with regard to displaying the fake registration number, IK-804, which is said to be the prisoner number allotted to incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, in March, Butt was also booked under blasphemy and cybercrime laws due to a “religious stir” caused by the launch of his perfume brand that allegedly mocked Pakistan’s blasphemy law. Butt launched his “295” perfume, which refers to the namesake blasphemy law in the Pakistan Penal Code.
Last December, the YouTuber found himself in legal trouble when he was arrested for illegally keeping a lion cub and weapons at his residence. He pleaded guilty in January this year to owning an undocumented wild animal after accepting the cub as a wedding gift.
He avoided jail by promising a judge to post animal rights videos for a year.
