Salman Khan recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap, over the latter’s ‘derogatory remarks’ against the actor and his family, seeking a permanent injunction, Rs 9 crore in damages and a detailed apology.
As per news reports, on Friday, a Mumbai-based court temporarily restrained Abhinav Kashyap from making or publishing any remarks against the actor and his family, emphasising that ‘one cannot use abusive and threatening language towards an individual under the pretext of freedom of speech.’
According to PTI, Judge PG Bhosale issued an ad interim ex parte injunction against filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap and two others during the hearing of Salman Khan's defamation lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Kashyap used derogatory language targeting Khan’s professional reputation and personal character, including his family members. It claims Kashyap called the Khan family “convicted criminals” and associated them with a “jihadi ecosystem” in an interview.
The suit also mentions Kashyap’s offensive remarks about Khan’s appearance, age, and personal life, and his alleged comparison to notorious criminals. Specific derogatory comments against Salim Khan, Arbaaz Khan, and Sohail Khan were also noted.
After reviewing Kashyap’s statements from the podcast interview, the court found them to be “prima facie defamatory, derogatory, abusive and insulting.”
The court stated these remarks damage the plaintiff’s reputation in the public eye. It emphasised that Salman’s reputation has been harmed and asserted that “nobody can, and nobody should make any defamatory statements against anybody’s family.
Regarding free speech and expression, the court clarified that “the right to freedom of speech and expression doesn’t mean that one can use abusive and threatening language against any individual.”
Abhinav Kashyap and Salman Khan collaborated in 2010 for the cop-drama Dabangg, which also stars Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, Sonu Sood and Dimple Kapadia.
The second instalment, released in 2012, was directed by Arbaaz Khan. The third part came out in 2019, which stars Saiee Manjrekar in a key role.