Mumbai: A long-running legal dispute involving Salman Khan and his neighbour Ketan Kakkad near the actor’s Panvel farmhouse has taken a fresh turn.
On Thursday, the Bombay High Court directed Salman Khan’s neighbour to take down certain social media posts and online content that were allegedly defamatory towards the Bollywood superstar.
The order came after the court considered claims of reputational damage arising from the posts and allegations made online.
A single-judge bench of Justice Sharmila Deshmukh questioned why an individual would choose to post grievances on social media instead of approaching the appropriate authorities, reported PTI.
The high court also observed that if the disputed content had been uploaded by third parties, intermediaries should take necessary steps to ensure its removal.
The high court was hearing an appeal filed by Salman against a civil court order that had denied him interim relief in a defamation suit against Ketan.
The actor had initiated the case in 2022 over a series of tweets and YouTube videos linked to a property dispute, alleging that the content was defamatory and capable of provoking communal tensions.
Salman contended that the allegations made against him were false, speculative and inflammatory, and were intended to stir communal sentiments.
However, at the time, the lower court had observed that he had not been able to establish that the allegedly defamatory video interview specifically referred to him.
During the 2022 proceedings, Salman’s counsel told the court that Ketan had made several serious allegations against the actor, including claims linking him to organised crime, comments about his religious identity, suggestions of political connections, and other accusations that the actor described as baseless and defamatory.
Responding through his lawyer, Salman stated, “Without proper proof, all these allegations are a figment of the defendant’s imagination. In a property dispute, why are you tarnishing my personal reputation? Why are you bringing in religion? My mother is a Hindu, my father is a Muslim, and my brothers have married Hindus. We celebrate all festivals.”
The next hearing in the case will be on July 6.
On the work front, Salman was last seen in the 2025 film ‘Sikandar’. The actor will next be seen in ‘Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace’, helmed by Vamshi Paidipally.
