Defamation suit against Imran: LHC upholds lower court decision 

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday issued a detailed judgment maintaining the lower court’s decision to remove former prime minister Imran Khan’s right to defend in a Rs 10b defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. 

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Justice Ch Muhammad Iqbal issued a 10-page judgment. 

The court observed that the failure to file a reply within seven days lapses the right to defence. Therefore, it was a correct decision of the trial court to dismiss the right of defence for non-response within seven days. The trial court rightly terminated Imran Khan's right to defence under Order 11 Rule 21. The purpose of Rule 21 is to bind the parties to the court decision, it added. 

The judgment further said that Imran Khan's lawyers could not show any illegality or irregularity in the trial court's decision. The trial court provided a copy to Imran Khan to answer Shahbaz Sharif's questions. 

Instead of giving answers, Imran Khan filed objections, the decision said.  

The trial court rejected the objections and directed Imran Khan to reply but Imran Khan did not file a reply, on which the trial court terminated his right to defend himself, the court adds.  

A sessions’ court, proceeding with the Rs 10 billion defamation suit by Shehbaz, had closed the right of Imran Khan to respond after he failed to reply to the objectors/issues presented by the plaintiff in time.

PM had sought to close the right of Imran Khan to file his written statement on the pretext of an inordinate delay on the part of the defendant by seeking unnecessary adjournments.

Imran Khan challenged the decision of the lower court before the LHC. The court, however, upheld the decision of the trial court and dismissed the petition of Imran Khan.

The defamation suit filed in 2017 stated that Imran Khan started uttering false and malicious statements against the plaintiff Shehbaz that the latter offered Rs 10 b to him through a common friend in exchange of withdrawing the case of Panama Papers pending before the Supreme Court.

The plaintiff Shehbaz Sharif requested the court to issue a decree for recovery of Rs 10bn as compensation for the publication of defamatory content against him.

Former Prime Minister Khan filed his reply to the suit with a delay of four years in 2021. Imran Khan said he had disclosed the incident for the consumption of the public at large and the same does not constitute any defamation.