Part interim relief for Bhatts in defamation suit, HC restrains actor against making making any false statement

Mumbai: In part interim relief for film makers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, Bombay

high court

on Monday restrained actor

Luviena Lodh

from making and circulating any defamatory statements against them. Justice Anil Menon passed the interim order after recording Lodh’s lawyer

Prashant Pandey

’s statement that she had neither made nor will make any defamatory statements against the Bhatts.

The Bhatt brothers filed a civil suit before the HC seeking damages of Rs 2 crore from Lodh over alleged defamatory statements made by her and an “unconditional apology’’ too from her.



The HC, however, passed no interim order at this stage for removal of a video which Bhatts’ alleged was defamatory against them, and gave Lodh three weeks to file a reply to the suit.

The Bhatts, through their counsel Venkatesh Dhond with Ameet Naik had sought urgent orders for its deletion and removal from social media online. They said that on October 23 they “were extremely shocked and perturbed to come across a video posted by Lodh making grossly defamatory, distasteful and patently false allegations’’ against them in what even as first blush appeared to be a malicious attempt’’ by her to “gain cheap publicity and settle personal scores with her husband.’’



Pandey said, Lodh stands by her video and also added that she “fears for her life.’’

The Bhatts suits says that they came across the first allegedly defamatory article against them on October 23 and then several more in print and electronic form, adding that the “cause of action is of a continuous nature’’. Their suit lists out a number of films they made since 1979 and says they “contributed immensely to the development of the Indian Film Industry over the course of half a century.’’

They said they are prominent citizens and enjoy considerable goodwill, and that they have “earned a reputation for promoting new talent’’ believing in giving opportunities to “people who are not industry ‘insiders.’