Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Property Dispute Gets Relief From LHC

Famous Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has scored a major victory in the Rahat Fateh Ali Khan property dispute. Lahore High Court restored his appeal in a property case over inheritance.

Justice Muhammad Sajid Mahmood Sethi announced the verdict in an eight-page judgment. During the proceedings, the court reinstated the singer’s appeal and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on him.

Court papers have disclosed that the row centers on a double-story residential property measuring one kanal and nine marlas in Faisalabad. Earlier, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan had moved a civil suit seeking declaration of ownership of the property. However, a civil court dismissed his case in May 2019, leading the singer to appeal the verdict.

A lower court dismissed the appeal later after he failed to deposit a court fee of Rs15,000 within the prescribed period. After that decision, the celebrated singer approached the Lahore High Court for relief.

The high court, in its judgment, said rejecting an appeal only on the ground that the court fee was not paid is against the general principles of justice. The judgment stressed that legal appeals should not be dismissed on technicalities if the substantive issues remain unresolved.

The court further observed that the petitioner was given only four days’ time to deposit the requisite fee and found the time to be unreasonable. Justice Sethi said the right to appeal is an important legal safeguard and cannot be taken away on account of procedural shortcomings.

The Lahore High Court has directed the concerned trial court to hear and decide the appeal on merit within two months. All the concerned, including Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, have been directed to appear before the concerned court on June 2 for further proceedings.