Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday conditionally suspended a trial court’s verdict directing singer Meesha Shafi to pay Rs5 million in damages to Ali Zafar in a defamation case, while maintaining restrictions on her from repeating harassment allegations against him.
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A two-member bench headed by Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad, with Justice Malik Waqar Haider Awan as the second member, heard Shafi’s appeal challenging the sessions court verdict issued on March 31.
During the hearing, Shafi’s counsel Saqib Jillani requested suspension of the impugned judgment and offered to deposit one-third of the damages amount in cash. The bench initially rejected the plea, insisting on full payment.
However, upon further arguments, the court directed Shafi to deposit Rs2.5 million in cash and furnish a surety bond for the remaining Rs2.5 million. As interim relief, the bench suspended the trial court’s ruling to the extent of the damages.
Despite the relief, the LHC maintained the restriction imposed by the lower court, barring Shafi from repeating or publishing her harassment allegations against Zafar in any form.
The court also issued a notice to Zafar and adjourned further proceedings. His counsel, Umar Tariq Gill, who was present in court, received the notice.
Earlier in March, a sessions court had ordered Shafi to pay Rs5 million in damages, ruling that her allegations of harassment against Zafar were not made in the public interest. The judgment also permanently restrained her from repeating or disseminating the claims across any media platform, including print, electronic, or social media.
The case stems from 2018, when Shafi publicly accused Zafar of sexually harassing her on multiple occasions. In response, Zafar filed a defamation suit, arguing that the allegations damaged his public reputation, and sought Rs1 billion in damages.
The latest development marks a partial relief for Shafi while keeping key legal restrictions intact as the case proceeds in the high court.
