KARACHI: A session court fixed October 10, 2020 to frame charge on Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, Chairman AKD Group, Mubashir Luqman, news anchor on a complaint filed by M/s JS Bank Limited in a case of conspiracy to defame Ali Jehangir Siddiqui, Chairman of the complainant Bank.
Order came on September 20, 2020, Additional District and Session Judge Ashraf Hussain Khowaja heard the matter.
During the hearing, Aqeel Karim Dehdi is called absent; however, his counsel filed application for condonation which was accepted by the court, Mubashir Luqman is present on bail, after the hearing, court fixed Oct 10, 2020 for charge frame.
It needs to be mentioned here that 3rd accused Rana Azeem has been declared as proclaimed offender.
Earlier, counsel for the accused persons entered into a criminal conspiracy to defame Ali Jehangir Siddiqui, chairman of the JS Bank and the complainant itself along with a host of other companies and organizations associated (whether directly or indirectly) with him and the complainant bank, as per of this conspiracy Mubashir Luqman hosted a series of programmers on his show ‘Khara Sach’ with Mubashir Luqman aired on the Samaa Television News Channel directly targeting Ali Jehangir Siddiqui and companies and organizations associated with him dated March 13, 26, 2018 and April 02, 2018.
Counsel argued that PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) has in its proceedings dated April 25, 2019 also imposed a fine of Rs300,000 on Samaa TV (Jaag Broadcasting System (Pvt) Ltd.
Citing above mentioned accused persons, counsel pleaded that aforesaid defamatory remarks were made and broadcasted throughout the world by the accused persons with common intent to harm the reputation of the JS Bank, Ali Jehangir Siddiqui and M/s JS Group in furtherance of their afore mentioned criminal conspiracy against the complainant, the accused no 1 and 2 were the originators of the said defamatory remarks as such the actions of the accused persons amount to offences defined under section 499 P.P.C and section 120-A P.P.C read with section 34 PP.C.
