Shilpa Shetty Approaches Bombay High Court Seeking Restraint On Publication Of Alleged Defamatory Content By Media

Actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra has approached the Bombay High Court against various known and unknown media houses/news channels seeking to restrain them from publishing defamatory content against her.

In her suit filed through Parinam Law Associates, Shetty alleged that media houses uploaded the impugned articles with an intent to increase their readership by sensationalizing news, and reporting false statements concerning her and the criminal investigation that is ongoing against her husband Raj Kundra.

She has sought for the 29 defendants to take down defamatory content against her and also issue an unconditional apology stating that the alleged articles and videos are baseless, unsubstantiated and unwarranted. The respondents include organisations such as Clapping Hands Private Limited, Free Press Journal, Facebook, Instagram, Google etc.

"Defendants be jointly and severally ordered and decreed to pay the Applicant an amount of Rs. 25 Crores as and by way of damages together with interest thereon @ 18% p.a. from the date of filing of the suit till payment and/or realization and/or for other interim/ad-interim reliefs as prayed for in the Plaint and the captioned Application," the petition states. 

She has accused the media houses of invading her privacy and interfering in her personal life by publishing incorrect, derogatory, false defamatory statements concerning her life and relationship with her husband.

"As they are completely false, erroneous, derogatory and defamatory in nature and have caused irreparable harm, loss and damage to her reputation before the public at large," the plea states.

Shetty's husband Raj Kundra was recently arrested in an alleged pornography racket and is currently in prison.

"These websites of the Defendants are freely accessible by any and every person and there is no requirement of any prior subscription to access the articles and comments posted on the Defendant's website. Thus, the defamatory content published by the Defendants as set out herein below is freely available to the world at large," the plea states.

Shetty alleges that she is being painted as a criminal and a woman who has abandoned her husband.

"The Defamatory Article No.1 paints the Applicant as a criminal aiding another accused being her husband. The Applicant states that the Defendants have been deliberately inciting anger and hatred among the general public against the Applicant and continue to place such defamatory content in the public domain against the Applicant thereby constantly subjecting the Applicant to mental harassment, trauma and sabotaging her reputation."

Kundra was arrested on July 19 and booked under sections 354(C) (Voyeurism), 292 (sale of obscene content), 420(cheating) of the IPC and Sections 67, 67A (transmission of sexually explicit material) of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.

In his petition under Article 227 of the Constitution, Kundra has sought to quash the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's order on July 20, and all subsequent orders remanding him in custody. His petition was partially heard today and his adjourned to Saturday.

Kundra was remanded to 14-days in judicial custody, on Wednesday. His bail application is pending before the Session Court.

Case Title: Shilpa Shetty Kundra v. Clapping Hands Private Limited