A London High Court has delivered a decisive judgment against former Pakistani army officer Major (retd) Adil Farooq Raja, finding him liable for defamation and ordering him to pay substantial damages and costs totaling £350,000.
Justice Richard Spearman of the King’s Bench Division ruled in favor of Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer, determining that allegations made by Raja—a YouTuber and social media commentator—were “false, baseless, and malicious.”
Court’s Findings and Orders
The judgment requires Raja to:
Pay £50,000 in damages to Brigadier Naseer
Cover £300,000 in court and legal expenses
Immediately cease publishing defamatory statements
Issue a written apology
According to the detailed ruling, Raja had published “serious and deliberately false” accusations against Brigadier Naseer across multiple platforms including Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, without providing credible supporting evidence.
Justice Spearman found that Raja’s statements were “inflammatory and intended to damage Brigadier Naseer’s reputation and manipulate public perception.” The court noted that these allegations caused significant harm, particularly within the British Pakistani community.
Legal Significance
In his judgment, Justice Spearman emphasized that freedom of expression has limits and does not protect the dissemination of unfounded accusations. He indicated that this case establishes important legal precedent for online defamation cases, confirming that social media posts constitute admissible evidence in defamation proceedings.
The court found Brigadier Naseer’s legal team had presented “credible and consistent evidence” supporting their case.
“The truth has exposed the lies, and this verdict is a victory for truth,” Brigadier Naseer said following the announcement.
Background to the Case
In preliminary hearings, the court had already determined that Raja’s social media statements were defamatory and unsupported by facts. The judge concluded that Raja had presented his remarks “as matters of fact, not opinion” while failing to substantiate them with credible evidence.
The court rejected Raja’s procedural attempts to halt the trial, as well as his claims that Pakistani judicial and intelligence institutions were controlling the proceedings.
Broader Context
This ruling represents the latest legal setback for Raja, who has faced previous legal challenges. Reports indicate he has been arrested in London for allegedly inciting hatred against state institutions, and an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has issued property seizure orders against him related to accusations of provoking violence through online content.
The case highlights growing judicial attention to defamation and harmful speech on social media platforms, particularly in cases involving diaspora communities.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
