LAHORE, Jun 11 (APP):The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday linked any action under the Punjab Defamation Act 2024 to the final outcome of a pe
tition against it.
Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq passed the orders while hearing a pe
tition filed by Jafar Ahmad Yar and others challenging the Punjab Defamation Act 2024.
The court also sought replies from the Punjab government and others on the pe
tition, besides issuing notices to the Attorney General for Pakistan and the Advocate General of Punjab for assistance in the matter.
Earlier, the pe
titioners’ counsel argued before the court that the act was not only against the independence of the judiciary but also the freedom of speech. He further submitted that, as per the act, proceedings of cases could be started without any evidence, whereas the accused could be fined up to Rs 3 million even before the trial.
However, a provincial law officer raised an objection to the maintainability of the pe
tition, saying that it was not fit to be admitted for hearing.
Subsequently, the court, after hearing the arguments of the parties, linked any action under the Punjab Defamation Act 2024 to the final outcome of the pe
tition and also issued notices to the respondents
