A local court is expected to frame charges on January 16 against YouTuber Saad Ur Rehman, widely known as Ducky Bhai, and other accused in a case linked to the promotion of an illegal gambling application.
Judicial Magistrate Naeem Watto heard the case at the District Courts Lahore, where copies of the challan were provided to all accused. The court then summoned Ducky Bhai, Aroob Jatoi, and two others for formal indictment at the next hearing.
During the hearing, Ducky Bhai and the other accused appeared before the court. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has already submitted the challan, accusing them of promoting a gambling app that allegedly defrauded users.
The court confirmed that formal charges will be framed on January 16.
What went in the court?
During the proceedings, the court remarked to Ducky Bhai, “Vlogging on your YouTube channel without permission is illegal.” The magistrate added that he should have filed a formal application in court seeking permission for vlogging.
Responding, Ducky Bhai said he believed he had already been granted permission through an affidavit submitted in the previous hearing. The court replied, “How can you grant yourself permission? Only the court has the authority to allow this. You should have filed a proper application.”
The court then asked, “Do you not want to do vlogging?” to which Ducky Bhai’s lawyer responded, “We don’t understand what permission we are supposed to seek. We are not vlogging on our channel at the moment.”
The court clarified that Ducky Bhai’s YouTube channel is the subject of the case and that it has been seized by the NCCIA (National Coordination Centre for Internet and Cybercrime Affairs). The magistrate said that while Ducky Bhai may vlog, uploading videos on this particular channel is illegal.
Ducky Bhai was detained in August at Lahore Airport while attempting to leave the country. His name was placed on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL). He was arrested under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 and sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
According to the FIR, the YouTuber allegedly promoted gambling and betting apps that collected millions of rupees from users. This is not the first controversy involving Ducky Bhai, who is one of Pakistan’s most followed online personalities.