A High Court judge in the United Kingdom has ordered YouTuber Adil Raja to publicly apologise to Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer following a defamation case.
Raja, who runs a YouTube channel and has positioned himself as a whistleblower, was accused of making multiple defamatory statements on social media, including allegations of corruption, electoral interference, judicial manipulation, and human rights abuse, all of which Brigadier (retd) Naseer strongly denied.
Judge Richard Spearman KC directed that the apology must remain on Raja’s social media accounts and website for 28 days. The court also ordered Raja to pay £50,000 in damages and £260,000 in legal costs by December 22.
The order was issued after Raja lost a defamation case in October, in which the court ruled that allegations he made against Brigadier (retd) Naseer were unfounded.
The judge had earlier directed Raja to publish a summary confirming that the statements were defamatory and that the retired military official had succeeded in his claim.
During the latest hearing, Raja’s request for permission to appeal the October judgment was rejected. His legal counsel indicated that he intends to take the matter to the Court of Appeal.
The court also issued an injunction preventing Raja from repeating the defamatory claims in the future.
Brigadier (retd) Naseer was present in court for the proceedings, while Raja was represented by counsel.
The case concerned 10 publications on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, in which Raja accused the retired officer of taking control of the Lahore High Court (LHC), influencing elections and bribing politicians.
