Salman Khan seeks apology from ANI for allegedly defamatory article
The actor said that the lawyer of two men accused of firing a gun at his home had spread false claims about him in an interview to the news agency.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan has sought an apology from news agency Asian News International and a legal team representing the two persons booked for firing a gun outside Khan’s home in April, Live Law reported on Thursday.
This came in response to an allegedly defamatory article about the actor that ANI published on September 4.
In a legal notice, Khan objected to the article, which was syndicated for use by other news organisations and included an interview of advocate Amit Mishra. Mishra represents Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, the two persons accused in the firing case.
Khan alleged that ANI, by publishing and distributing Mishra’s interview, spread allegedly false and defamatory information about him.
The actor contended that the allegations were “misguided and misconceived” and that Mishra and ANI had intended to create controversy with them.
“Our client [Khan] denies all the allegations,” Live Law quoted from the notice. “[They] are absolutely false, baseless, malicious, grossly defamatory, misleading, damaging and are made with an intent to malign the image and goodwill of our client before the public at large…”
Khan said he was a “victim of the criminal act” and is “absolutely not concerned with the accused persons in any manner whatsoever”.
His legal notice said that Mishra’s allegations constituted a criminal offence under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and qualified as a “civil act of tortuous wrong and defamation”, Live Law reported.
Khan has demanded an unconditional apology from ANI and Mishra within 48 hours. The actor also asked the news agency to remove the article from its website.