Nora Fatehi faces ₹3cr defamation suit over 'toy' airplane remarks
What's the story
Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi is facing a civil defamation suit of ₹3 crore filed by Dunes Aviation, an aviation firm, reported PTI. The company alleges that her "derogatory and reckless" remarks on social media about its chartered aircraft have severely damaged its reputation. The suit was filed at a Gandhinagar court in April, claiming that Fatehi's comments led to booking cancellations and tarnished the company's image.
Incident details
Explaining the controversy
The controversy began when Fatehi shared videos from inside a Cessna Citation CJ2 aircraft during a Mumbai-Jaipur flight in December last year.
In these videos, she referred to the aircraft as a "miniature," "toy," and "Lego airplane."
Dunes Aviation claims these comments circulated widely because of Fatehi's social media reach of over 46 million followers.
The company alleges that the posts had a direct commercial impact on them.
Commercial impact
Dunes Aviation claims decline in bookings after controversy
Dunes Aviation has claimed a 15-20% decline in bookings after the controversy, along with an increase in cancellations.
The company has strongly rejected the suggestion that the aircraft was unsuitable for the journey.
They described it as a standard aircraft appropriately sized for the Mumbai-Jaipur route, fully DGCA-certified and airworthy.
Legal action
Company seeks removal of posts, public clarification from Fatehi
Apart from seeking ₹3 crore in damages, Dunes Aviation has asked the court to order the removal of Fatehi's social media posts and any other online content containing the alleged remarks or references to the aircraft.
They have also sought a public clarification from her.
The case is scheduled to be heard by senior civil judge R Agarwal on September 25.