Filmmaker Jamshed Mahmood Raza, widely known as Jami, has been granted bail by the Sindh High Court following his recent conviction in a defamation case that resulted in a two-year prison sentence by a lower court.

On Thursday, Jami’s counsel confirmed the bail and stated that an appeal challenging the conviction has already been submitted. The court’s official order is currently awaited.

In the appeal, Jami’s defense argued that the trial court incorrectly placed the burden of proof on the accused, which contradicts fundamental principles of criminal law and natural justice—where it is the prosecution’s duty to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They also stated that the presented evidence was inconsistent and unreliable, failing to substantiate the allegations.

The appeal requests that the court suspend the lower court’s verdict and, after reviewing the arguments, overturn the conviction.

Earlier this week, a sessions court in Karachi had sentenced Jami to two years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs10,000 under Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code, citing defamation of fellow director Sohail Javed in connection with a 2019 incident.

The case stems from a letter Jami publicly read at the Lahooti Melo festival in Jamshoro—which highlighted #MeToo narratives—and later shared on Facebook. The letter, written by an anonymous survivor, described being assaulted by a prominent figure in the media industry but did not directly name anyone.

Although Jami never identified the alleged abuser, Sohail Javed contended that the clues in the letter, such as the person being a “music video and TVC director,” having appeared on a festival panel in Hyderabad, and introducing his son who worked in the same field, led readers to believe the accusation was about him.