Defamation Case: Rashid Naseer Appears in UK High Court Against Adil Raja

LONDON: On Wednesday, Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer attended the UK High Court for a hearing regarding his defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Major (retd) Adil Raja.

Master Davison presided over the half-day session, which addressed three applications in advance of the comprehensive trial scheduled for July.

The court reaffirmed its prior ruling, requiring Raja to cover Naseer’s legal expenses. He was directed to pay £6,100 in legal costs, adding to the £23,000 already disbursed to Naseer’s legal representatives.

The court was presented with three applications for consideration:

  • Raja’s request for a remote trial for himself and his witnesses, including Shaheen Sehbai, Colonel (retired) Akbar Hussain, and Mirza Shahzad Akbar.
  • The judge declined to address the application, stating it should be managed by the trial judge during the pre-trial review hearing.
  • Raja’s plea for anonymity for an unnamed witness purportedly in the army who declined to testify on his behalf. Raja sought to have Naseer bear the expenses associated with this application. The judge deferred the decision on costs until the conclusion of the case.
  • Naseer’s application for a debarring order due to Raja’s non-payment of previously mandated court costs (£23,000, which Raja settled within months of the application).

The judge sided with Naseer’s legal team and mandated that Raja remit £6,100 to Naseer within a fortnight.

Raja issued a statement asserting that he prevailed on the central application during the hearing.

He stated: “I also secured the anonymous witness withdrawal. I am pleased to report that during today’s proceedings at the Royal Court of Justice in London, the judge ruled in favor of my request to allow my witnesses to participate in the trial remotely in the matter brought against me by the claimant.”