Salman Khan vs Abhinav Kashyap: Mumbai court bars filmmaker from ‘derogatory’ remarks; what are the allegations, court observations and relief sought?

A Mumbai court has prohibited filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap and others from making or publishing "defamatory" remarks about Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his family, while also granting him temporary relief in a defamation case. The ad-interim ex-parte ruling against Kashyap, Komal Mehru, Khushboo Hazare, and others (John Doe) was issued by Judge P G Bhosale, who noted that the right to freedom of speech and expression does not entail the use of derogatory or intimidating language against anyone.

What did the court say?

"The defamatory statements made by defendant no.1 (Kashyap) and the interview taken by defendants no.2 (Mehru) and 3 (Hazare) needs to be directed to the injuncted from further posting, re-posting, communicating, uploading, printing, publishing, re-publishing, hosting, re-circulating till the appearance of all the defendants and filing their reply to the notice of motion," the court said.

What is the case all about?

Actor Salman Khan has approached the court to file his complaint that Kashyap Mehru and Hazare made defamatory statements about him and his family during their video interviews, which were broadcast on the YouTube channel named "Bollywood Thikana."

The actor claims that the 26 interviews, which were released between September and December 2025, contained statements which severely damaged his personal reputation.

What were the allegations made?

According to Khan's lawsuit submitted via DSK Legal, Kashyap made statements about him and his family, which contained severe falsehoods and insults and incited communal violence and made denigrating remarks. He suffered damage to both his personal and professional reputation because the statements were disseminated to the public who could access them from any location in the world.

The video contained Khan's photo, which appeared next to the picture of underworld criminal Dawood Ibrahim, because the actor claims the makers intended to create a false connection between him and criminal elements. The visual presentation aimed to destroy his reputation while reducing his status in the eyes of the public.

The social media platforms Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram received widespread distribution of the interview clips and their associated content, which led to additional damage, according to the claim made by the plaintiff.

The defendants did not take down the material after they received a legal notice which demanded content removal. Salman Khan maintained that these activities existed to create a reputation-damaging public spectacle which would attract online attention to his work.

What relief has Salman Khan sought?

The actor has sought: A long-term injunction prohibiting the defendants from saying anything more disparaging. Rs 9 crore in damages for the damage done to his goodwill and reputation, which he claims he has developed over many years. Additionally, he has stressed that a person's reputation is an integral aspect of who they are and cannot be compromised in the name of free expression.

What did the court observe?

The court made the following findings after hearing the case:

The remarks seem to be offensive, rude, disparaging, and defamatory.

The public's perception of the plaintiff is damaged by such remarks.

Making disparaging remarks about another person or their family is prohibited.

Although the right to free speech and expression is vital, it should not include the use of derogatory or intimidating language against any individual.

The defendants claimed that their acts were protected by free speech, but the court dismissed this claim.