Bombay High Court Suggests Removing Social Media Posts in Salman Khan Defamation Case

The Bombay High Court on Thursday stated that the right to access social media does not extend to publishing content that defames others, whether they are private individuals or public figures. This observation was made during the hearing of a property dispute involving actor Salman Khan and his neighbor, Ketan Kakkad, concerning adjoining properties in Panvel, where Khan owns a farmhouse.

A single-judge bench, presided over by Justice Sharmila Deshmukh, was hearing an appeal filed by Salman Khan. Khan had challenged a civil court's decision that refused to grant him interim relief in a defamation suit he filed against Kakkad.

During the proceedings, the High Court advised parties to avoid taking their disputes to social media and instead seek resolution through appropriate legal channels. The court specifically suggested that Kakkad consider removing tweets and YouTube videos related to the dispute, expressing concern over the continued online circulation of such content. The bench noted that judicial time should not be spent assessing whether these videos should remain available online and highlighted that steps could be taken through intermediaries to remove content, even if uploaded by third parties.

The dispute began with Kakkad alleging that Khan violated environmental norms and blocked access to his property. Kakkad claimed that after approaching authorities without success, he posted tweets and participated in YouTube interviews discussing these issues. In response, Salman Khan filed a defamation suit, asserting that Kakkad's posts and videos were defamatory, communally provocative, and contained false, speculative, and inflammatory material. Khan's legal team submitted that the content included references intended to provoke communal sentiments against the actor and had garnered significant online engagement.

Khan's defamation suit also names several social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Google, and YouTube, as parties. Khan claims Kakkad's allegations surfaced after authorities canceled a proposed land transaction near Khan's farmhouse due to illegality, which Khan alleges Kakkad then attributed to Khan and his family's orchestration.

Kakkad, however, has opposed the defamation suit, arguing that his statements are fact-based regarding Khan's property and do not constitute defamation. He further contended that Khan, as a public figure, has already made details of his property publicly available. The matter is scheduled for a further hearing on July 6.

(Source: Bollywood Hungama)