A significant development has come to light in the defamation suit filed by singer Ali Zafar against Meesha Shafi in the Lahore High Court, where the court conditionally suspended the session court’s decision to award Rs 5 million in damages on Meesha Shafi’s appeal.
Justice Ahmed Nadeem Arshad, while hearing Meesha Shafi’s appeal, ruled that the fine amount will not be implemented immediately until the final decision of the appeal, however, Meesha Shafi will have to deposit half of the fine amount in the court while it will be necessary to provide surety for the remaining amount.
During the hearing, the court rejected Meesha Shafi’s request to suspend the entire trial court decision and clarified that the ban on the lower court’s repeated allegations of sexual harassment will remain in place. The court remarked that no one can be allowed to repeat such serious allegations without evidence.
Advocate Saqib Jilani appeared in the court on behalf of Meesha Shafi, who took the position that the session court did not conduct a complete and correct assessment of the facts. The appeal stated that if Meesha Shafi could not prove her allegations, it does not mean that Ali Zafar has completely exonerated himself.
The petitioner’s lawyer further argued that Meesha Shafi had also approached the provincial ombudsman on the same matter, while an appeal against this decision is still pending in the Supreme Court, so the defamation claim should not have been fully filed before the final decision of the Supreme Court.
The court has issued a notice to Ali Zafar and sought a response, while further hearing of the case will be held on a later date.
It should be noted that the Sessions Court, while ruling in favor of Ali Zafar, had ordered Meesha Shafi to pay Rs 5 million in damages and had declared that he had failed to prove his allegations of sexual harassment in court. After this decision, this case has become one of the most important legal disputes in the showbiz industry.