Salman approaches Bombay HC in defamation case against Panvel neighbor
What's the story
Bollywood actor Salman Khan approached the Bombay High Court on Friday in the defamation case against his Panvel farmhouse neighbor Ketan Kakkad. He filed an appeal in the HC after a lower court earlier refused to issue an injunction against Kakkad for "defamatory" and "communally provoking" videos against him. Kakkad uploaded videos of Khan accusing him of nefarious activities, including drug and human trafficking.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Reportedly, Khan approached Kakkad to put the matter to rest amicably. When things didn't go as planned, he filed an appeal with a lower court earlier this year to prevent Kakkad from posting videos about the alleged activities. However, the sessions court refused to grant Khan relief in March, leading to him appealing against the same. Now, Justice CV Bhadang will hear his case.
Statement
Khan's lawyer called the accusations 'blithely speculative'
After the civil court rejected his plea in March, the actor has now approached the Bombay High Court with respect to his lawsuit. Khan's lawyer Ravi Kadam argued that the civil court made an error by refusing the injunction. "The videos uploaded by Kakkad are blithely speculative. They were not only defamatory, but also communally provoked the viewers against Salman Khan," Kadam stated.
Allegations
Kakkad alleged Khan wanted to shut down Ganesha temple, more
"In the video, the defendant (Kakkad) compares Salman Khan to Babar and Aurangazeb. He says it had taken 500 years for the Ayodhya Mandir (temple) to come up, and here Salman Khan is trying to shut down a Ganesha temple [in Panvel, near the actor's farmhouse]," Kadam stated. Kakkad had also accused Khan of being a member of underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim's gang.
Information
The matter will be next heard on August 22
Adding to the list of accusations, Kadam further pointed out Kakkad had "alleged that Salman is running a business of drug trafficking, organ trafficking, and child trafficking from his farmhouse." On the other hand, Kakkad, through his lawyers, claimed Khan filed the lawsuit to pressurize him into giving up his land. The HC bench has scheduled a hearing on the matter on August 22.