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LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) today (Friday) dismissed a petition filed by PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif for expediting the defamation case against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The LHC also directed the petitioner to approach the concerned forum of the directorate general of the district judiciary. The registrar’s office had earlier raised objection to the petition, stating that the petitioner should first approach the concerned forum.
During the hearing, the petitioner stated that the premier’s alleged false, malicious and baseless statements had tarnished his image and he seeks recovery of Rs10 billion in damages.
The PML-N president had made the PM and an additional district and sessions judge as respondents. In his plea, Shahbaz stated that his repeated requests before the respondent judge to proceed expeditiously in the case went in vain.
“The acts of the omission and commission on the part of respondent PM Khan are in complete violation and in utter disregard of the law and its spirit, reducing the judicial system as a mockery which requires intervention from the court”, the petitioner stated.
Shehbaz highlighted that around 83 proceedings were conducted on the petition, out of which more than 60 times, the respondent had sought adjournment ‘with different tactics’.
He contended that section 14 of The Ordinance of 2002, without any exception and or discretion, commands and directs the learned judge to adjudicate a lis within 90 days.
The petitioner prayed to the court to pass directions to the concerned judge for conducting the trial on a day-to-day basis to avoid permitting the premier from indulging in further acts to frustrate, suspend and sabotage the trial of the suit.
