The Court flagged “wholly unjustified” reports on the bungalow, saying such content creates “sensationalism and affects the rights of the current owner of the bungalow.
The Bombay High Court has restrained media outlets and platforms from publishing or circulating false content about late actor Rajesh Khanna’s former bungalow, Ashirwad [Shashi Kiran Shetty v. ScoopWhoop Media Pvt Ltd.]
Justice Arif S Doctor passed the order on July 24 after noting that material published by certain media outlets appeared to be prima facie defamatory and infringing the privacy and dignity of the current bungalow owner.
The Court was hearing a plea filed by the current owner, businessman Shashi Kiran Shetty, against Scoopwhoop Media Pvt Ltd and several other entities.
After going through the articles and videos from publishers including Scoopwhoop, NDTV, Indiadotcom and others, Justice Doctor held that the material was clearly defamatory.
“The material, in my prima facie view is clearly defamatory of Shetty so as to suggest that the Plaintiff lives in a haunted and so called cursed bungalow. Furthermore, it would also clearly impinge upon the Shetty’s right to live peacefully and in dignity,” the judge observed.
According to the plea, Shetty had purchased Ashirwad, demolished the existing structure and built a new residence for his family, while retaining the iconic name ‘Ashirwad’ associated with Khanna.
Shetty complained of numerous articles and videos that continued to describe...
News The Court flagged “wholly unjustified” reports on the bungalow, saying such content creates “sensationalism and affects the rights of the current owner of the bungalow. The Bombay High Court h...