A local court in Islamabad has thrown out a Rs20 billion defamation lawsuit against Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), brought by former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, nearly ten years after its initiation.
The legal battle stemmed from allegations made by Chaudhry in July 2014, wherein he accused Khan of electoral rigging in the 2013 general election. Following these accusations, Chaudhry’s legal team issued a Rs20 billion defamation notice to Khan, demanding an apology. Despite warnings of legal action, it wasn’t until January 2015 that Chaudhry formally lodged the lawsuit in the Islamabad district and sessions judge’s court.
The lawsuit contended that Khan had employed derogatory language against Chaudhry in a statement published on June 27, 2014, and had made unfounded accusations against the judiciary.
However, after protracted legal proceedings, the court ultimately dismissed the case against Khan, citing it as time-barred. Additional District Judge Islamabad-West, Haseena Saqlain, delivered the verdict, stating that the complaint had been filed beyond the limitation period outlined in Section 12 of the 2002 Ordinance.
Judge Saqlain observed that, as per the plaintiff’s own account, Khan’s alleged defamatory remarks were published on June 27, 2014, while the complaint was not filed until January 20, 2015, a period exceeding six months.
According to the judge, this delay implied that the plaintiff was aware of the alleged defamation at the time of publication, making the lawsuit invalid under the specified limitation period stipulated by the Defamation Ordinance 2002.
In essence, the court ruled that Chaudhry’s lawsuit against Khan was time-barred, effectively dismissing it on procedural grounds, thus bringing an end to a long-standing legal feud.
