Bombay High Court Bars Santosh Kumar from Defaming Aditya Dhar

The Bombay High Court has issued an interim ruling prohibiting filmmaker Santosh Kumar RS from making further remarks regarding the script of the Hindi film 'Dhurandhar.' The order follows a defamation lawsuit filed by writer-director Aditya Dhar, who argued that Kumar's comments were damaging to his reputation. Justice Arif S Doctor presided over the case and acknowledged that Kumar had received notice of the proceedings but did not attend the hearing.

The court granted Dhar a limited interim relief, stating that he had established a prima facie case warranting such action. "Until the next date, the defendant (Kumar) shall be restrained from repeating words set out in the suit, and all other words of a similar nature. Issue notice," the court stated. This measure is set to remain in effect until April 16, when the court will reconvene to further deliberate on the case.

The defamation suit stems from comments made by Kumar at a press conference shortly after the release of the film 'Dhurandhar: The Revenge,' which is the sequel in the series. During the press briefing, Kumar accused Dhar and the team behind 'Dhurandhar' of plagiarising his registered script titled 'D Saheb.' Following these claims, Dhar issued a legal notice to Kumar, categorically rejecting any allegations of copying and warning Kumar against making similar statements in the future.

Notably, Kumar did not respond to the legal notice, leading Dhar to seek intervention from the Bombay High Court. Dhar's application includes a request for an injunction against Kumar's statements as well as damages, contending that these comments are unfounded and defamatory.

Senior Advocate Birendra Saraf represented Dhar during the court proceedings and argued that Kumar's allegations were not only prejudicial but also defamatory in nature. Saraf emphasised, "All I seek is, if he has a grievance about infringement, he himself said I am going to initiate legal proceedings. He can initiate legal proceedings and I will respond to the same appropriately. But in the meanwhile, he can't use such language."

The court ultimately granted Dhar interim protection after considering the extensive sharing of the allegedly defamatory remarks. "In my view, the plaintiff has made out a case for the grant of limited ad-interim relief," the court concluded. Saraf was assisted by a legal team from DSK Legal, comprising partners Parag Khandhar and Chandrima Mitra, and associates Siddhi Somani, Zara Dhanboora, and Diva Chanchani.