Rimsha Masih was taken from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to a close-by helipad, from where a helipad flew her off to an unknown location. – Photo from Youtube video grab
Rimsha Masih was  earlier taken from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to a close-by helipad, from where a helipad flew her off to an unknown location. – File Photo of Youtube video grab

ISLAMABAD: A judge on Monday rejected the district administration’s decision to hold the hearing on the 'Rimsha Masih case' in jail and ordered the police to submit a charge sheet in the special court in accordance with the juvenile laws.

 Rimsha Masih spent three weeks on remand in an adult jail after she was arrested on August 18 for allegedly burning pages from the Holy Quran in a case that prompted worldwide condemnation.

Police on Saturday told the court the girl was not guilty and a cleric who allegedly framed her should face trial instead.

“We have received the medical report which says she is aged 14. The investigation report of her case must be submitted in a juvenile court,” a judge said on Monday.

Rao Abdur Rahim, the lawyer for Rimsha's neighbour Hammad Malik, who originally accused her, objected to the medical report, but Abbas told him he should apply to the juvenile court when it takes up the case.

An official medical report has classified her as “uneducated” and aged 14, but with a mental age younger than her years. Others have said she is as young as 11 and suffers from Down's syndrome.

Earlier, Rimsha Masih had been awarded bail and flown to an undisclosed location with her family, over security concerns.

The bail was awarded after it was revealed that a prayer leader of the neighbourhood mosque, Khalid Jadoon had had placed two pages of the Holy Quran with the burnt papers in order to aggravate the situation.

The court has also passed the matter of animosity over the charge sheet between the investigating officer and the district attorney to the relevant court.

Opinion

Editorial

Pressure politics
27 May, 2026

Pressure politics

THE Abraham Accords were presented as a historic peace initiative in the Middle East. In reality, they were...
Eid’s true spirit
Updated 27 May, 2026

Eid’s true spirit

Pakistan celebrates Eid while grappling with economic strain that continues to weigh heavily on ordinary households.
Cotton crisis
27 May, 2026

Cotton crisis

PAKISTAN’S declining cotton economy is rapidly turning into a case study in policy contradiction. Amid endless...
Balochistan tragedy
Updated 26 May, 2026

Balochistan tragedy

The state keeps reiterating the role of hostile foreign actors in fomenting unrest, yet seems to be short on ideas on how to prevent the ingress of such actors and their ideologies in Baloch society.
Economic engagement
26 May, 2026

Economic engagement

AN array of investment MoUs valued at $7bn signed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s China visit signifies...
Flotilla abuse
26 May, 2026

Flotilla abuse

THE testimonies that have emerged from international activists, who were part of a Gaza-bound flotilla, paint a...