The Bombay high court on June 11, hearing actor Salman Khan’s appeal in a defamation suit against his Panvel farmhouse neighbour, remarked that access to social media does not entitle individuals to publish content to defame others. The court orally asked the neighbour to consider deleting the allegedly defamatory posts and video, suggesting that an amicable resolution could be reached at in this way.
A single-judge bench of Justice Sharmila Deshmukh indicated that the parties should refrain from taking their disputes on social media. Salman had alleged that neighbour Ketan Kakkad had made video posts with allegedly defamatory content against him, his Panvel farm and his family. His advocate said that the posts contained “speculative” material which could be “communally provocative”. The matter was posted for July 6.
Ketan Kakkad, an American citizen, had earlier argued that he was unable to rightfully access his land since 2014, when he permanently settled in India, due to a “huge gate” that obstructed him.
Khan had filed a defamation suit in the city civil court which did not grant him any interim relief. In 2022, he appealed to the high court against the trial court order.