Bombay HC Directs Removal of Defamatory Social Media Posts Against Salman Khan

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has issued a significant directive concerning the ongoing legal battle between Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his Panvel farmhouse neighbour, Ketan Kakkad.

During a hearing held on Thursday, June 11, 2026, the Court observed that access to social media platforms does not grant individuals a license to publish defamatory content against others, regardless of whether they are celebrities or ordinary citizens.

Justice Sharmila Deshmukh, presiding over the matter, urged the respondent to consider deleting the contentious posts and videos that have fueled the public dispute.

The conflict stems from a long-standing property dispute involving Khan’s “Arpita Farms” in Panvel and an adjacent plot owned by Kakkad, a retired NRI. Over the past few years, the relationship between the neighbours soured, leading Kakkad to take to social media to air his grievances. He alleged that the actor had violated environmental regulations during the construction of his farmhouse and had illegally blocked access to his property.

These allegations were shared through various tweets and YouTube videos, which Khan subsequently challenged as defamatory and communally provocative.

The Court expressed strong reservations about the use of social media as a battlefield for legal disputes and questioned why Kakkad chose to upload such content online instead of pursuing remedies through the appropriate legal and administrative authorities. The Court observed that “precious judicial time” should not be consumed by determining the defamatory nature of individual social media posts when the parties should instead focus on presenting their evidence before the Court.

Justice Deshmukh remarked that a trial by media is inappropriate, particularly when the dispute has been pending for several years.

The Court further clarified that even if there were an “element of truth” in the grievances, it would not justify the public disparagement of a person’s reputation. The judge pointed out that the withdrawal of the videos would not weaken Kakkad’s legal standing in the underlying property dispute.

The Court emphasized that in the digital age, content can go viral within seconds, causing irreparable harm to a person’s reputation. Consequently, it suggested that the defamatory videos and tweets be removed, regardless of whether they were currently “viral” or not.

Salman Khan had originally filed a defamation suit in 2022 after Kakkad allegedly made several inflammatory statements. According to the actor’s legal team, Kakkad had compared Khan to historical figures such as Babar and Aurangzeb and made baseless allegations regarding illegal activities at the farmhouse.

Khan’s counsel argued that the posts were intended to incite communal sentiments and tarnish the actor’s reputation by unnecessarily introducing religious elements into the dispute. The actor’s family background, which includes both Hindu and Muslim members, was cited to highlight the provocative nature of the allegations.

Previously, a civil court had declined to grant Khan an interim injunction, prompting him to approach the High Court. At the time, the Court had observed that Kakkad’s statements could potentially be protected as those of a whistleblower based on certain documents placed on record.

However, the High Court’s recent observations focused on the misuse of social media for pursuing personal vendettas during the pendency of litigation. The Court also noted that if the respondent had not personally uploaded the content, directions could be issued to intermediaries such as Google and YouTube to ensure the removal of the disparaging material.

The High Court has now granted time to Kakkad’s counsel to seek instructions regarding the deletion of the posts.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 6, 2026.

Appearance: For the Petitioners: Advocates Parag Khandhar, Chirag Mody, Zara D., and Senior Advocate Ravi Kadam.
For the Respondents: Advocates Abha Singh and Aditya Singh.

Case Title: Salman S. Khan v. Ketan Kakkad (AO/454/2022).