LAHORE:A local court on Monday dismissed acquittal applications filed by accused – Ali Gul Pir and Leena Ghani – in a case of running a vilification campaign on social media against singer-actor Ali Zafar.
Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk heard the acquittal applications filed by the accused.
In a written order released here on Monday, about last Saturday’s proceedings, the court noted that the petitioners had moved applications for acquittal under Section 249 of CR.P.C stating that they had been roped in the matter with malafide intentions as no specific role had been assigned to them and no incriminating evidence was available against them. The petitioners had contended that there was no probability of their conviction.
The court further noted that Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Additional Director legal and complainant’s counsel opposed the pleas and stated that sufficient evidence was available against the accused.
While dismissing the acquittal applications, the court observed that the accused had not agitated a single ground which entitled them for relief as per Section 249. The court observed that it transpired from digital evidence that Ali Gul Pir made defamatory remarks from his Twitter account against the complainant (Ali Zafar) and he never denied that the account did not belong to him.
Leena Ghani shared the post on Twitter from her Twitter account against Ali Zafar and she was still using the same account, it added.
The court again issued bailable arrest warrants of Meesha Shafi and Maham Javaid in the matter while dismissing their applications for exemption from personal appearance. The court adjourned further hearing till March 3.
The FIA had filed a challan (charge-sheet) against Meesha Shafi and seven others in the case of running a vilification campaign on social media against singer-actor Ali Zafar.
The FIA had filed the challan in the FIR registered on the complaint of Ali Zafar.
The agency declared Meera Shafi alias Meesha Shafi, Iffat Omar, Maham Javaid, Leena Ghani, Haseemus Zaman, Fariha Ayub, Syed Faizan Raza, and Ali Gul Pir guilty in the challan.
The FIA alleged that Meesha Shafi posted false allegations of sexual harassment against Ali Zafar in April 2018 and she failed to produce any evidence in favour of her allegations. The other suspects also failed to provide evidence in favour of the direct allegations posted by them on social media, it added.
In November 2018, Ali Zafar had moved a complaint with FIA, stating that the allegations against him were made under a premeditated plan conspired by Meesha Shafi and others and various fake social media accounts were used for the purpose.
Ali Zafar had also filed a defamation suit against Meesha Shafi and it was pending before a sessions court.