Mumbai Court Issues Interim Order in Salman Khan Defamation Case
A Mumbai court has granted interim relief to Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in a high-profile defamation case, restraining filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap and several others from making or publishing any defamatory comments against the actor and his family members.
Court Observations on Freedom of Speech
Judge P G Bhosale, while passing the ad-interim ex-parte order, made significant observations about the boundaries of free speech. The judge emphasized that the right to freedom of speech and expression does not permit the use of abusive or threatening language against anyone. This ruling comes as a crucial interpretation of constitutional rights in the context of celebrity defamation cases.
The court specifically noted that "prima facie these statements are defamatory, derogatory, abusive and insulting in nature" and that such statements "lower the image of the plaintiff in the eyes of the general public." The judge further stated that "nobody can make and nobody should make defamatory statements against anyone's family" and that "each individual has his privacy to be protected and image to be protected."
Background of the Legal Battle
Salman Khan approached the court against what he described as various 'defamatory and derogatory' remarks made by Abhinav Kashyap, Komal Mehru, and Khushboo Hazare. These comments were allegedly made during a video interview series on the YouTube channel "Bollywood Thikana" that ran for 26 episodes between September and December 2025.
According to the suit filed through DSK Legal, the actor highlighted that Kashyap made "grossly defamatory, derogatory, communally provocative and denigrating statements" about Khan and his family members. The legal complaint emphasized that these statements were designed to harm and malign the reputation and goodwill that the actor has cultivated over decades of his career.
Specific Allegations in the Case
The plea presented several specific allegations that formed the basis of the defamation claim:
- In one of the videos uploaded on "Bollywood Thikana," a photograph of Salman Khan was allegedly placed deliberately side-by-side with a photograph of Dawood Ibrahim
- This juxtaposition was intended to "malign him, lower his reputation and falsely associate him with criminality, underworld and anti-social elements"
- The videos have been broadcast to a large and diverse audience due to their extensive digital reach
- Multiple clips and extracts from the interviews have been reproduced, shared, reposted and circulated across social media platforms including Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram
- The defendants allegedly failed to comply with a notice sent by Khan's advocates calling for the removal of the defamatory content
Legal Arguments and Relief Sought
Salman Khan's legal team argued that the defendants' sole objective was to "threaten and damage the goodwill and reputation" of the actor and his family to serve their own "selfish interests of gaining sensational mileage and publicity."
The actor contended that a person's reputation is an inseparable element of an individual's personality and cannot be allowed to be tarnished in the name of freedom of speech and expression. The court accepted this argument, rejecting the defense counsel's claim that Kashyap had the right to freedom of speech and expression in this context.
Khan has sought:
- A permanent injunction against the defendants
- Damages amounting to Rs 9 crore for the comments made against him and his family
Court's Specific Directions
The court issued specific temporary restraints against the defendants, prohibiting them from:
- Making, uploading, posting, or re-posting videos
- Giving interviews or making communications
- Printing, publishing, or re-publishing any content
- Hosting, circulating, or re-circulating any material
- Creating any further defamatory content, derogatory remarks, posts, messages, tweets, videos, or interviews related to Salman Khan or his family
These restrictions will remain in effect until the defendants appear in court and file their reply to the notice of motion. The court order specifically stated that the defendants must be "directed to be injuncted from further posting, re-posting, communicating, uploading, printing, publishing, re-publishing, hosting, re-circulating till the appearance of all the defendants and filing their reply."
Legal Representation
Salman Khan is being represented by the DSK Legal team, which includes advocates Parag Khandhar, Chandrima Mitra (Partner), Tapan Radkar, Zara Dhanbhoora, and P D Gandhy. This experienced legal team has taken on the complex task of protecting the actor's reputation in the digital age where content can spread rapidly across multiple platforms.
The case represents a significant development in Indian entertainment law, particularly regarding how courts balance freedom of expression with protection against defamation in the era of social media and digital content creation.
