LAHORE: Renowned Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has been granted relief in a hereditary property dispute case after the Lahore High Court set aside a lower court’s decision to dismiss his appeal.
According to details, the Lahore High Court declared null and void the trial court’s ruling that had rejected the appeal due to non-payment of court fees.
Justice Muhammad Sajid Mehmood Sethi issued an eight-page detailed verdict in the case.
The court restored the singer’s appeal but directed him to deposit a penalty of Rs100,000.
The judgment stated that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan had filed a civil suit regarding possession of a double-storey house measuring one kanal and nine marla in Faisalabad. A civil court had ruled against him on May 14, 2019, after which he filed an appeal in the trial court.
The trial court dismissed the appeal on technical grounds, citing non-payment of Rs15,000 in court fees.
The Lahore High Court observed that dismissing an appeal solely on non-payment of fees violates the principles of justice and stressed that appeals should be decided on merit rather than technical grounds.
The court further noted that the appellant was given only four days to submit the court fee, which was insufficient, and emphasized that the right of appeal is a valuable legal right that cannot be denied on minor procedural lapses.
The High Court ordered the trial court to decide the appeal on merit within two months without unnecessary delay and directed all parties, including Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, to appear before the relevant court on June 2.