Dawn Court Reporter + Dawn TV Report
London: The London High Court has ordered a UK-based YouTuber to pay legal costs in a defamation case brought against him by a retired Pakistani army officer.
After a half-day hearing before Master Davison, YouTuber Adil Raja, who served as a major in the Pakistan Army, was ordered to pay £6,100 in legal costs to retired Brigadier Rashid Naseer.
Three preliminary applications were heard ahead of the full trial, which is due in six weeks.
The court heard Adil Raja’s application to allow his witnesses, including journalist Shaheen Sehbai, retired Colonel Akbar Hussain and former PTI accountability minister Mirza Shahzad Akbar, to testify remotely. The judge granted the application in principle but noted that remote testimony is a common practice in the United States and questioned the need for a formal application.
The second application involved an anonymous witness, whose testimony Adil Raja had intended to present but later withdrew. Although Rashid Naseer had no objection to the principle of anonymity, the judge refused to immediately order costs and left the matter to the end of the trial.
The third application was filed by Rashid Naseer, seeking an order for costs after Adil Raja delayed payments from the court order. Adil Raja’s legal team argued that payments had already been made. The court ruled in Rashid Naseer’s favor, ordering Raja to pay £6,100 within 14 days.
After the hearing, Adil Raja described the outcome as a ‘two to one’ win, highlighting the judge’s decision to allow remote testimony and defer costs decisions on the withdrawn witness, although accepting the order to pay costs on the third issue.
The case, which is based on allegations made by Raja on his online platform, will come up for a full hearing at the end of July.
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