SHC allows 'compromise decree' in Haroon, Jami case

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday allowed a compromise decree on separate pleas moved by plaintiff Hameed Haroon and defendant Jamshed Raza Mehmood, aka Jami, in a suit for 'Perpetual and Mandatory Injunction and Damages', filed by the plaintiff in 2020.

According to the court's document available with The Express Tribune, SHC Judge Hasan Azhar Rizvi allowed the decree, which duly came into effect on October 7, 2021 in the presence of Faisal Siddiqui, the advocate for the plaintiff, and Asad Iftikhar, the advocate for the defendant.

As per the provisions of the order, Jami has undertaken, through himself of through any person acting on his behalf, “not to make, circulate and/or publish any defamatory statements against the plaintiff, including and similar to the allegations that the plaintiff is a rapist and/or has engaged in sexual assault/ violence or sexual harassment”.

It went on to state, “Jami has permanently deleted his accounts on social media, including, but not limited to, Twitter and Facebook,” and added, “Should Jami reactivate and/or create the said accounts, he shall act strictly in accordance with the above-mentioned clause.”

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“Hameed Haroon undertakes, through himself or through any person acting on his behalf, not to make, circulate and/or publish any defamatory statements against the Jami,” the decree added.

The decree further read that “the instant terms agreed herewith between the parties are without prejudice to their respective stance in the [present] proceedings.”

In December 2019, filmmaker Jamshed Mahmood, who in October had alleged that he was raped by a “media tycoon” 13 years ago, named Haroon as his alleged rapist.

The director, better known as Jami, had made the accusation through his Twitter and Facebook pages.

Categorically rejecting the accusations, Haroon was quoted by media reports as saying, "The story is simply untrue and intentionally fabricated at the instance of those who wish to silence me and through me, to compel the newspaper that I represent to support their repressive narrative."