LAHORE: A sessions court on Thursday adjourned hearing of a defamation suit, filed by actor/singer Ali Zafar against Meesha Shafi till Sept 20.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Amjad Ali Shah conducted the proceedings wherein Ali Zafar was cross-examined.
In response to the defence counsel’s questions, the actor-cum-singer said that all allegations against him were entirely baseless and that he never harassed Shafi, adding that the latter had used the case to only further her popularity.
The court expressed serious annoyance over interference by Ali Zafar’s counsel in the proceedings. Subsequently, the court adjourned further hearing till Sept 20 and directed the defence counsel to continue cross-examination on the next date of hearing.
Zafar had filed Rs1 billion defamation case under the Defamation Ordinance 2002, after being accused of harassment. He denied all allegations made against him by Meesha Shafi.
In April 2018, Meesha Shafi had accused Ali Zafar of harassing her on `more than one occasion’.
Meanwhile, the court also conducted proceedings on a Rs2 billion damages suit, filed by Meesha Shafi on Wednesday against Ali Zafar for making false allegations against her on the media. Zafar was given a copy of the suit on the directions of the court.
Sources said that the damages suit included Rs1 billion for loss of goodwill and reputation caused by Zafar’s suit and Rs1 billion for the mental torture and agony which Meesha had to suffer as a result.
In addition, Shafi asked the court to pass a decree declaring Zafar’s statements regarding her as “false, malicious and defamatory” and “made to injure the reputation of the plaintiff”.
“It is prayed that the defendant (Zafar) be permanently restrained from making any further defamatory statement against the plaintiff (Shafi),” the suit stated.
