The Judicial Activism Panel Wednesday wrote a letter to the Governor of Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan to send the defamation law back to the Punjab Assembly. According to the text of the letter, the bill of defamation is contrary to Article-19 of the Constitution. The implementation of this law curbs freedom of expression which is against fundamental rights. The letter written by the Judicial Activism Panel said that the defamation law is a major obstacle to citizens' right to access information, and the implementation of the defamation law has curtailed freedom of expression. The text of the letter further states that the approval of the bill is against the fundamental rights of the citizens.

There is a fear of gaining political interests through the implementation of the bill, therefore, the governor should send the bill back to the assembly without approval. Defamation Bill It is pertinent to note that the Defamation Bill 2024 will apply to print, electronic and social media. The defamation cases can be filed on false and untrue news spread. The bill will also apply to fake news spread through YouTube and social media, the action will be taken on news spread to harm personal life and public space. Tribunals will be set up for defamation cases, which will be bound to decide within six months. Under the defamation bill, the damages will be Rs3 million.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan