Salman Khan farmhouse case: Court says the actor's claim of being defamed doesn’t hold as neighbour has proof

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Salman Khan had earlier filed a Short Cause civil suit against his Panvel farmhouse neighbour Ketan Kakkad and others. He filed the suit before a Mumbai civil court seeking interim orders to restrain them from making "false, disparaging and defamatory allegations in videos/posts/tweets.'' The actor claimed that the allegations are causing him and his family "grave harm, loss and prejudice ''.

Now, a civil court has said that the statements made against Salman by the neighbour appear to be supported by "documentary evidence." The court last week refused interim relief to Salman

Additional Sessions Judge Anil Laddhad rejected Khan's plea seeking an interim order barring Kakkad from making any further comments against him or his family members in connection with Khan's farmhouse at Panvel in neighbouring Raigad district.

The detailed order became available on Wednesday. Ketan, an NRI, owns a plot on a hill next to Khan's farmhouse.
The suit alleged that he made defamatory comments against the actor in an interview on a YouTube channel.

Kakkad had tried to purchase a plot of land next to the actor's farmhouse, but the transaction was cancelled by the authorities on the ground that it was illegal, the lawyer told the court.

He then started making false accusations that the transaction was cancelled at the behest of Salman and his family, Gandhy stated.

Advocates Abha Singh and Aditya Pratap, appearing for Kakkad, opposed the relief sought by Khan, arguing that the statements revolved around facts about the property and could not amount to defamation.

Ketan 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 the actor restraining Ketan from approaching his land, the court noted.

"The defendant contended that he is a whistleblower to the illegal acts done by the plaintiff and he made imputations in public interest by taking reasonable precautions by producing documentary material in support of the same," the judge noted.

The actor's expansive farmhouse in Panvel, a city in Navi Mumbai’s Raigad district of Maharashtra, is one among his luxurious properties and is located an hour away from the Mumbai. The property is named after his sister Arpita Khan Sharma and is the ideal getaway for the family to get in touch with mother nature.

It  has three bungalows, a swimming pool, a gym, and a place for five horses to just run around the property. It reportedly costs around Rs 80 crores.

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Credits: TOI