The Lahore High Court has directed a trial court to decide the defamation suit filed by singer Ali Zafar against artist Meesha Shafi within 30 days, aiming to bring timely progress to the long-running legal dispute.
The order was issued by Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad while announcing a verdict on a petition filed by Meesha Shafi. The petition challenged a trial court order issued on January 24, 2019. That order restrained her from making statements against Ali Zafar on any media platform, including social media.
The high court upheld the trial court’s ruling. It observed that the impugned order was well reasoned and grounded in sound legal principles. The bench stated that there was no justification for interference under constitutional jurisdiction.
In its judgment, the court noted that discretionary orders passed by competent courts, particularly those related to interim injunctions, should not be disturbed. Such orders, the court said, can only be interfered with if they are arbitrary, perverse, or suffer from a clear jurisdictional defect. The bench concluded that none of these conditions were met in this case.
Ali Zafar filed the defamation suit in 2018 under the Defamation Ordinance 2002. He sought Rs1 billion in damages, claiming his reputation had been severely harmed. The singer maintained that the allegations made against him were false and defamatory.
The case stems from allegations made by Meesha Shafi in April 2018. She publicly accused Ali Zafar of sexual harassment, saying the incidents occurred on more than one occasion. The claims were first shared through a social media post and quickly drew national attention.
Since then, the dispute has moved through multiple legal forums. It has remained one of the most closely followed celebrity cases in the country.
