Mumbai: Musician Meesha Shafi has filed a Rs 2 billion damages suit in a Lahore sessions court against fellow artist Ali Zafar for making false allegations against her on media. The damages suit includes Rs1bn for the loss of goodwill and reputation caused, and Rs1bn for “mental torture and agony”.
In addition to the damages requested, Shafi asked the court to pass a decree to declare 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, adding that the defamatory statements had caused a loss to Shafi’s goodwill and adversely affected her.
“Moreover, it has caused mental agony and anguish to the plaintiff and for which [the] defendant is now liable to pay damages,” it added. Shafi’s team had also sent a legal notice to Zafar for defamation in May.
Earlier, Zafar had submitted a Rs 1 bn damages suit against Shafi for accusing him of sexual harassment. The case is currently underway in a sessions’ court in Lahore. Zafar took legal action after Shafi accused him of harassing her “on more than two occasions”.