3 min readMumbaiJun 11, 2026 04:22 PM IST
First published on: Jun 11, 2026 at 04:22 PM IST
Remarking that access to social media does not entitle individuals to publish content to defame others, the Bombay High Court Thursday suggested that the neighbour of Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s Panvel (Raigad district) farmhouse consider deleting posts and videos against the actor related to a defamation case.
The high court was hearing an appeal by Khan against the rejection of interim relief by a civil court in connection with the defamation suit he had filed against one Ketan Kakkad for uploading videos on social media about the actor’s alleged activities at his Panvel farmhouse.
A single-judge bench of Justice Sharmila U Deshmukh, while hearing Khan’s appeal filed in 2022, also said that parties can pursue remedies before appropriate forums by agitating their grievances related to properties and suggested Kakkad delete the posts related to the dispute and sought his response on the same by July 6.
The court also expressed displeasure over the continued circulation of the content in question and remarked that even if it had been uploaded by third parties and not by Kakkad, it could be deleted by taking steps to have it removed through intermediaries.
The judge orally remarked that “just because there is an access to social media,” none can merely upload something on social media and “cannot bring disrepute to a common citizen or a celebrity”.
Earlier, in November 2022, Justice (now retired) C V Bhadang of the high court, who had concluded the hearing, had said that he was unable to complete the final judgment on the actor’s appeal. The judge, a day before his retirement, had clarified that the matter would be kept “part-heard” and would come up before another judge.
The actor had argued that the posts, including videos uploaded on social media by Kakkad, were derogatory and defamatory and also amounted to creating communal bias and were communally provocative.
Khan had also claimed that the allegations by Kakkad were made after a proposed land transaction involving land adjacent to Khan’s farmhouse was cancelled by authorities due to illegality.
Khan has sought directions from the high court to remove the posts in question and to restrain Kakkad from making such comments.
Kakkad, on the other hand, had argued that Khan had filed a defamation case against him to pressure him to give up the fight for his Panvel land. Kakkad added that his posts pertained to facts about Khan’s property and do not amount to defamation; therefore, the appeal should be dismissed.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan (File Photo) 
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