District court issues detailed order on Ali Zafar's defamation suit
PHOTO: FILE
A sessions court has ruled in favour of Ali Zafar in a high-profile defamation case against fellow artist Meesha Shafi, declaring allegations of sexual harassment against him as unproven.
Additional Sessions Judge Asif Hayat issued a detailed 159-page verdict, ordering Meesha to pay Rs5 million in damages to Zafar for causing mental distress.
Zafar had filed a defamation claim of Rs1 billion against Meesha after she accused him of harassment, with the case having spanned over eight years.
Throughout the eight-year period, nine judges were changed, and 283 hearings were held. A total of 20 witnesses were called to testify, and their statements were recorded.
The court also restrained Meesha from repeating the harassment allegations on any platform, including electronic, print, and social media.
According to the ruling, the court found no sufficient evidence to substantiate her claims that Zafar harassed her on three separate occasions.
The judgment acknowledged that reporting incidents of sexual harassment can be difficult in society, however, it concluded that Meesha failed to prove her allegations through legal forums.
The court further observed that both parties are highly educated, married, and parents of two children each, and recognised their standing as well-known figures in the entertainment industry.
The verdict also outlined the legal history of the case, stating that Shafi first approached the Punjab Ombudsperson in 2018 with her complaint, which was dismissed.
Subsequent appeals to the Punjab governor were also rejected. She later challenged the matter before the Lahore High Court.
Despite these efforts, the sessions court ultimately ruled in favor of Zafar, awarding damages and imposing restrictions on further public statements regarding the allegations.
In 2018, Zafar filed a defamation suit against Meesha, who accused him of sexual harassment. He filed the defamation suit through his counsel Rana Intizar, demanding Rs1 billion in damages.
Read more: Lahore court orders Meesha Shafi to pay Rs5m to Ali Zafar in defamation case
Intizar contended before the court that Meesha had damaged the reputation of his client with “baseless allegations”. He pleaded that the court direct Shafi to tender an unconditional apology and pay Rs1 billion in damages.
Zafar had previously sent a legal notice to Meesha stating that her tweets, dated April 19, 2018, were “false, slanderous, and defamatory” and “caused tremendous injury to the plaintiff’s reputation, goodwill, and livelihood.”
The trial court had originally imposed the gag order on January 24, 2019, following Zafar’s defamation suit. Meesha’s subsequent appeal to the LHC had been dismissed.
In 2021, the Supreme Court accepted Meesha’s petition filed against the LHC order for the preliminary hearing.
After hearing the arguments, the apex court remarked that the points raised by the petitioner must be reviewed, and clubbed the case with the suo motu notice taken to define sexual harassment, also pending in the court.