In a significant legal blow delivered by a UK court, former military officer and YouTuber Adil Raja has been ordered to issue a public apology to Brigadier (Retired) Rashid Naseer following a defamation lawsuit.
Justice Richard Spearman KC of the High Court ruled during the recent hearing, mandating that Adil Raja’s apology must remain visible across all his major digital platforms—including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and his website—for a period of 28 days. This ruling follows the defamation case which Raja lost in October of this year.
The court imposed severe financial penalties on Raja, ordering him to pay a total of £310,000 in damages and legal costs by December 22. This amount includes £50,000 in damages and £260,000 towards the claimant’s legal expenses. The judge also stipulated that any additional legal costs would be estimated later and would also be payable by Raja.
Furthermore, the judge issued an injunction barring Adil Raja from repeating the defamatory statements in the future. In the initial October ruling, the judge had declared all allegations made by Raja against Brigadier (Retd) Rashid Naseer to be entirely “baseless.”
Raja’s request for permission to appeal the ruling was rejected by the judge. However, his legal counsel indicated their intention to pursue the matter at the Court of Appeal. Brigadier (Retd) Rashid Naseer was present in court to hear the judgment, while Raja was represented by his lawyers. Raja has publicly stated that he will appeal the decision.
