The Meesha Shafi Ali Zafar case saw a major development as the Lahore High Court suspended the earlier decision requiring singer Meesha Shafi to pay Rs50 million in damages to fellow artist Ali Zafar. The court issued interim directions while hearing her appeal.
The hearing was conducted by Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad, who reviewed the appeal filed by Meesha Shafi against the verdict issued by a lower court in the defamation case.
During proceedings, the court suspended the order directing payment of damages to Ali Zafar. However, it instructed Meesha Shafi to deposit half of the amount in cash with the court as a security measure.
The court further directed that the remaining half of the amount must also be secured through a guarantee submitted to the court. These steps were taken as part of interim relief during the ongoing appeal process.
In addition, the Lahore High Court issued a notice to Ali Zafar, seeking his response in the case. However, the court rejected Meesha Shafi’s request to suspend the entire trial court judgment.
The bench observed that the trial court had also restricted Meesha Shafi from repeating allegations of sexual harassment, and clarified that such restrictions could not be suspended at this stage.
The Meesha Shafi Ali Zafar case originated after Ali Zafar filed a defamation suit seeking Rs100 crore in damages over harassment allegations made by Meesha Shafi.
Earlier, a sessions court had ruled in favor of Ali Zafar, directing Meesha Shafi to pay Rs50 million in damages, a decision that has now been partially suspended by the high court.
