The allegations made against Bollywood superstar Salman Khan by a neighbour appear to be supported by “documentary evidence”, a Mumbai court said on Wednesday. Last week, the court did not grant interim relief to Salman who has filed a defamation case against his Panvel farmhouse neighbour, Ketan Kakkad, for making defamatory comments against the actor in an interview to a YouTube channel. Kakkad, an NRI, owns a plot on a hill next to Salman’s farmhouse.
Salman’s advocate Pradeep Gandhy argued that Kakkad made false, disparaging and defamatory allegations in videos, posts and tweets. Kakkad had tried to purchase a plot of land next to Salman’s farmhouse, but the transaction was cancelled by the authorities on the ground that it was illegal, the lawyer told the court.
Kakkad had purchased his land in 1996. He retired in 2014 and wanted to live there, but could not access his land due to encumbrances caused by Salman Khan and his family, the lawyers claimed.
The judge, after examining the tweets and videos placed on record, said that Salman did not explain how the innuendos in the tweets pertained to him. There is “documentary proof” to substantiate the allegation about Khan restraining Kakkad from approaching his land, the court noted.
Meanwhile, Salman’s complaint reportedly also names two other people, who were also part of the interview, as respondents. Even Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter have been named in the suit since the actor wants the interview to be removed.
Salman’s suit claimed that Kakkad had tried to buy a plot of land next to his Panvel farmhouse but the authorities cancelled the transaction since they deemed it illegal. Kakkad allegedly levelled allegations against Salman of getting the transaction cancelled. Salman’s lawyers stated that the “false, disparaging, and defamatory” statements are causing harm to the actor and his family.