LAHORE  –  A sessions court on Tuesday ruled in favour of Ali Zafar in the long-running defamation case against Meesha Shafi, imposing a fine of Rs5 million on Meesha Shafi. Additional District and Sessions Judge Asif Hayat announced the short order on the Rs1 billion defamation suit filed by Ali Zafar in 2018, bringing to a close litigation that continued for eight years. The court had concluded hearing on Monday, indicating that the final verdict would likely be announced on Tuesday. During final arguments last week, Ali Zafar’s counsel Umar Tariq Gill argued that the sexual harassment allegations had damaged his client’s reputation and maintained that no witness had substantiated the claims, requesting the court to award Rs1 billion in damages. Counsel for Meesha Shafi, Saqib Jillani, argued that sexual harassment cases often rely on the victim’s testimony and trauma rather than eyewitness accounts, citing superior court precedents. In the defamation suit, Ali Zafar stated that the allegations made by Meesha Shafi had harmed his public image and caused distress to him and his family. He requested the court to decree the suit in his favour and direct Meesha Shafi to pay Rs1 billion in damages after she accused him in 2018 of sexually harassing her on multiple occasions. During the proceedings, Ali Zafar presented 13 witnesses in support of his claim, while Meesha Shafi produced seven witnesses. A total of nine judges were changed during the trial, and 283 hearings were held before the verdict was announced.