On Monday, the Lahore District and Sessions Court acquitted YouTuber Rajab Butt in a rape case filed against him, after police investigators found the accusations to be baseless.
The case was heard by Additional Sessions Judge Syed Najaf Haider Kazmi, where Rajab Butt and his co-accused Salman Haider appeared alongside their legal counsel. During the proceedings, the investigation officer informed the court that Rajab Butt and two other individuals had been found innocent during the inquiry. The case had originally been registered at the Nawab Town Police Station, but investigators concluded that the evidence did not support the allegations.
Read more: Lahore Court Bars Police from Arresting YouTuber Rajab Butt Until June 21
With the charges dropped, Rajab Butt voluntarily withdrew his interim bail request, which the court then officially closed. However, the judge extended the interim bail of co-accused Salman Haider until July 3, as the investigation into his involvement remains ongoing.
Previously, the defense team claimed that the case against Rajab Butt and others was fabricated and that the police had falsely implicated them. The original complaint accused the YouTubers of rape and blackmail, but the defense maintained that the allegations were unfounded and malicious.
The FIR, registered on June 10, named five individuals—including well-known YouTubers Rajab Butt and Maan Dogar—following accusations made by a female social media activist. According to the FIR, the woman said she befriended Salman Haider, Rajab Butt’s cousin, on social media. She alleged that he drugged and raped her, recorded explicit videos, and later used them to blackmail her.
The complainant also claimed that Rajab Butt locked her in a room at a house owned by Salman Butt, where she was allegedly kept against her will. She further alleged that Maan Dogar and other associates were involved in the illegal confinement.
The FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, but police later stated that the investigation revealed no evidence against Rajab Butt, leading to his exoneration.
