A court in Karachi has convicted filmmaker Jamshed Mehmood, also known as Jami, in a defamation case for publishing a letter on his Facebook page, sentencing him to two years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ten thousand rupees.
Jamshed Mehmood was accused of publishing a letter on his Facebook page on February 15, 2019, in which a rape incident was described and a director known for making music videos and television commercials was accused.
Although no specific name was mentioned in the letter, later director Mohammad Sohail Javed filed a defamation case against Jamshed Mehmood, which was decided on Tuesday. In case of non-payment of the fine, Jami will have to serve an additional one month of rigorous imprisonment.
In its verdict, the court stated that it had been proven that the accused had publicly posted the letter on Facebook. Although the plaintiff’s name was not directly mentioned in the post, it contained enough identifying details and personal characteristics that clearly pointed to him, prompting viewers to immediately name the plaintiff in their reactions.
The court noted that the accused lacked evidence in his defense and failed to explain why, despite recognizing the mistaken identity, he continued to repost the content and respond to comments that further escalated the defamation.
The court concluded that the accused had deliberately and recklessly defamed the plaintiff, and that the allegation did not fall under any exception to defamation.
