F.P. Report
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to acclaimed filmmaker and writer Jamshed Mahmood Raza, popularly known as Jami, days after a lower court convicted him of defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison.
Jami, who had been found guilty by a subordinate court in a defamation case, appealed the verdict through his legal team. The high court accepted the appeal and suspended the sentence while also directing him to deposit a surety bond worth Rs50,000.
The appeal filed by Jami’s lawyers argued that the trial court had incorrectly placed the burden of proof on the suspect, in contradiction to established principles of criminal law and natural justice.
“The entire onus lay upon the prosecution to prove the alleged offence beyond reasonable doubt,” the appeal stated, adding that the evidence on record was both unreliable and contradictory.
Jami’s legal team maintained that the trial court’s judgement was flawed and requested the high court to suspend the sentence and ultimately set aside the conviction.
Jami’s lawyer confirmed to the media the bail decision and emphasized that the case would now proceed through the appeals process.
The court has not yet announced a final ruling on the appeal but will hear arguments in the coming weeks to determine whether the conviction should be overturned.
On Wednesday, the renowned filmmaker was sentenced to two years in prison by an additional district and sessions judge (East) in Karachi in a defamation case filed by fellow director Sohail Javed.
The court found Jami guilty under Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code for making defamatory remarks that damaged Javed’s reputation. Along with the prison sentence, the court also imposed a fine of Rs10,000. In case of failure to pay the fine, Jami will serve an additional one-month imprisonment.
The case dates back to 2019, when Jami shared a letter during a public appearance at the Lahooti Melo and later posted it to his Facebook account. The letter, written by an anonymous sexual assault survivor, alleged misconduct by an unnamed prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
While Jami did not directly name anyone, Sohail Javed argued that comments under the social media post strongly implied he was the accused, and Jami failed to clarify or deny the public speculation.
Javed subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit, stating that the allegations caused serious damage to his personal and professional reputation.
During court proceedings, Jami maintained that the letter was handed to him by Lahooti Melo organizers and that he was unaware of its contents prior to reading it aloud. He denied any intention of defaming anyone.
However, the court ruled that Jami failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his defense. “The accused did not produce the letter’s author, any communication with the event organizers, or credible proof showing he had no prior knowledge of the content,” the court observed in its judgement.
