A Pakistani court has indicted a cleric Mufti Azizur Rehman and his five sons for sexually abusing a student at his madrassah.
The cleric and his son pleaded not guilty and decided to contest the trial, Dawn reported.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Rana Rashid Ali directed the police to present the prosecution witnesses on Oct 18.
Mufti Aziz is still behind bars as his bail after the arrest was dismissed by a judicial magistrate, while his sons had been released on bail.
The case against Rehman was registered under Section 377 (unnatural offences) and Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Lahore Police had registered a case against the cleric after a video of him sexually assaulting one of his students went viral.
A police investigation revealed that the cleric lured his student and committed sexual acts with him for three years with promises of helping him in passing exams.
In his complaint, the student alleged that Rehman got him and another student expelled for three years on charges of cheating in the examinations of Wafaqul Madaris.
He claimed that the cleric sought sexual favours for restoration of his name and he had no option but to submit to his demand.
( With inputs from ANI )
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