Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui files Rs 100 crore defamation suit against brother, estranged wife

The actor also sought direction from the court to his brother and estranged wife to make complete disclosure related to the persons they had approached to allegedly spread false and malicious information. “Following the disclosure, the two may be restrained from disposing of or dealing with their assets in any manner, especially which may adversely affect Siddiqui from recovering the damages caused or other pecuniary remedies from them which the court may deem fit and proper,” the plea stated.

The suit claimed that the actor had appointed his younger brother Shamsuddin as his manager in 2008 and the brother had also worked for him for auditing, filing income tax returns, payment of GST, etc and Siddiqui had “blindly” handed over his credit and debit cards, signed cheque book, and bank passwords, among others, to Shamsuddin for work while he concentrated on acting. Siddiqui claimed Shamsuddin started cheating and defrauding him and bought properties jointly while he would tell the actor that properties were being bought in his name.

Siddiqui claimed that when he confronted Shamsuddin, the latter instigated the actor’s estranged wife to file false cases against him. Siddiqui claimed Shamsuddin and Pandey have misappropriated Rs 20 crore and as Shamsuddin had access to the actor’s meetings, he made audio and video recordings of the same.

The plea stated that Shamsuddin’s service as Siddiqui’s manager was discontinued in 2020 and, thereafter, the actor received legal notices from the Income Tax, GST, and other government authorities for unpaid dues of Rs 37 crore that Shamsuddin failed to pay.

The actor claimed when he asked for his properties to be returned, his younger brother and estranged wife started blackmailing him with “cheap videos” and comments on social media. He added that Shamsuddin got his other brothers to do the same.

Siddiqui also claimed his estranged wife used Rs 10 lakh per month he gave for their children’s education and Rs 2.5 crore he gave to start a production house for her own pleasure and enjoyment.

The actor also claimed his upcoming films have been postponed owing to “false videos and posts” made by defendants and they are so defamatory that “he feels very shy to attend social gatherings and go out in public.”

He further said his estranged wife, before their marriage, was married to someone else but had allegedly portrayed that she was an unmarried Muslim and he eventually got to know the truth and was “shocked”.

Meanwhile, Siddiqui had filed a plea in the high court seeking to know the whereabouts of his two minor children, who are in the custody of his estranged wife, who lived in Dubai for some time and later moved to India. The plea is pending in court.

A day after he filed a defamation suit, the actor has now sought a settlement with his estranged wife and has sent a “settlement draft” to his wife Aaliya’s lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee. The estranged wife’s lawyer questioned the timing of the “settlement draft” and said that any consent terms between the two parties for any settlement would include withdrawal of the defamation suit.