LHC sends petitions against defamation law to chief justice

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has referred petitions challenging the Defamation Law 2024 to the chief justice, asking that the matter be placed either before him or a larger bench for further proceedings.

In a written order issued on Wednesday, Justice Anwar Hussain said the chief justice may decide whether to hear the case himself or constitute a larger bench in light of the legal questions raised in the matter.

The order said law officers had presented important constitutional and legal points during the hearing. It noted that arguments included references to earlier judgments, including the property ownership law case.

The court also observed that the tribunals envisaged under the defamation law have not yet been set up, and described that issue as an important interim aspect that requires consideration.

Petitioners opposed transfer of case

During the proceedings, counsel for the petitioners opposed sending the matter to the chief justice. They argued that the case had already been heard at length and that the arguments were largely complete, making a transfer at this stage unnecessary.

The petitioners’ lawyers maintained that all judges have equal jurisdiction to decide the case. They also told the court that proceedings were already being initiated against the petitioners under the same law being challenged before the court.

According to the written order, the petitioners further argued that the provincial government did not have the constitutional authority to legislate on defamation in the manner it had done. They described the matter as one of major public importance and urged an early and conclusive ruling.

Legal questions highlighted in order

The written order indicated that the issues raised in court went beyond routine procedural questions and involved constitutional and legal points that, in the court’s view, warranted consideration by the chief justice for an appropriate decision on the forum that should hear the petitions.

The court did not decide the merits of the challenge in the order, but instead referred the matter onward for a decision on whether the chief justice would hear it himself or assign it to a larger bench.

The petitions relate to the Defamation Law 2024, which has been challenged before the Lahore High Court on constitutional grounds. In the latest development, the court has placed the next step in the hands of the chief justice, while also recording the objections raised by the petitioners’ side to such a referral.

The order also underscored that the non-establishment of tribunals under the law remains a significant interim issue linked to the petitions now awaiting further directions.