Meesha Shafi requests change in judge in the defamation case Ali Zafar filed against her

Meesha Shafi's legal team has filed a transfer application in the Lahore sessions court today, in which they express their lack of confidence in Additional Sessions Judge Shakeel Ahmed who is currently presiding over the defamation case Ali Zafar has filed against her. The application seeks a change in the judge presiding over the case.

In their application, Meesha Shafi's legal team claims that the judge has been displaying partiality towards Ali Zafar and was assisting his witnesses during the recording of their statements. The application further states that the judge has been behaving in a hostile manner with her lawyers and fined them Rs 10,000 as well.

Speaking to Images, Meesha's legal representative Ahmed Pansota said, "The transfer application has been filed on multiple grounds, but the crux of it is that we were not very comfortable with the way the judge was conducting the proceedings. He was coaching the witness, he was slightly interfering, he was not following the due procedure and process as ascribed under the law."

"A judge has a very limited role in the cross-examination," Pansota explains. "If he starts instructing the witness, it becomes difficult for us to sift out the truth from [the witness]. That is the whole purpose of a cross examination. If he's been constantly told and instructed not to speak in a particular manner, in essence you're helping the other side's case. I'm not saying it's a deliberate attempt on [the judge's] part, because I'm not sure about that, but it's certainly not the way the judge should have conducted the proceedings."

Pansota added, "Then, there were a few words that [the judge] had used in his order while confirming the stay order such as 'bizarre' among many other words. Overall, we're not satisfied with his conduct. It is our right under the law to transfer our application if we feel that the judge is not conducting the trial in accordance to the law. We've exercised that right."

The defamation suit filed against Meesha Shafi by Ali Zafar has now being adjourned till May 11.