11 June,2026 09:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Salman Khan. Pic via Yogen Shah
During a hearing of a defamation case filed by Salman Khan against his Panvel farmhouse neighbours, the Bombay High Court, on Thursday, observed that access to social media does not permit individuals to publish content that could defame others. Be it private citizens or celebrities, the Court noted. The Bombay HC even asked the neighbour to delete the posts.
According to a Bar and Bench report, a single-judge bench of Justice Sharmila Deshmukh, while hearing an appeal filed by Khan, against a civil court order refusing to grant him interim relief in a defamation suit he filed against his neighbour Ketan Kakkad. The actor has sued his neighbour over tweets and YouTube videos concerning a property dispute.
The judge suggested that parties should abstain from litigating their disputes on social media. It added that they must instead pursue remedies before appropriate legal forums. The judge also suggested that Kakkad consider deleting tweets and videos relating to the dispute.
The Bench also expressed displeasure over the continued circulation of such content and underscored that judicial time must not to be spent on examining whether such videos should remain online. It also noted that even if the content in question had been uploaded by third parties, steps could be taken to have it removed through intermediaries.
The Court has assigned the matter for further hearing on July 6.
The dispute is regarding the adjoining properties in Panvel, where Salman Khan owns a farmhouse. His neighbour, Ketan Kakkad, claimed that Khan had violated environmental norms and blocked access to his property. The neighbour also alleged that he approached authorities on this issue; however, no action was taken despite this.
Subsequently, Kakkad posted tweets and participated in YouTube interviews to raise concerns about the dispute. Following the same, Salman Khan filed a defamation suit against the Kakkad for making such comments. He argued that the videos and posts shared by Kakkad are not only defamatory but also communally provocative.
It was contented that the videos contain false, speculative and inflammatory material, such as references intended to provoke communal sentiments against Khan. The Court was also told that the content in question had garnered significant viewership and engagement online.
Khan claimed that Kakkad's allegations arose after a proposed land transaction involving a plot adjacent to Khan's farmhouse was cancelled by authorities due to illegality-related issues. According to the actor, Kakkad had thereafter started making baseless allegations that the cancellation was orchestrated by Khan and his family.
Kakkad opposed the defamation plea, claiming that his statements are based on facts relating to Khan's property and do not amount to defamation.
