Social Media Access Not a Licence to Defame: Bombay HC Directs Salman Khan’s Neighbour to Consider Deleting Posts
LEGAL NEWS DESK MUMBAI | JUNE 11, 2026
The Bombay High Court on Thursday observed that access to social media platforms does not entitle individuals to publish defamatory content against anyone, including public figures and celebrities. Hearing an appeal filed by Bollywood actor Salman Khan, a single-judge bench of Justice Sharmila Deshmukh suggested that Khan’s Panvel farmhouse neighbour, Ketan Kakkad, consider deleting the contentious online posts and videos linked to their ongoing property dispute.
Background of the Dispute
The matter originates from a property dispute between Khan and Kakkad, who own adjoining plots of land in Panvel, located in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. Kakkad had publicly alleged that construction activities at Khan's farmhouse violated multiple environmental norms and actively blocked access to his own neighboring property. Kakkad further claimed that despite approaching statutory authorities, no administrative action was taken against the actor.
Following these events, Kakkad participated in YouTube interviews and uploaded several posts on social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), detailing his grievances.
In response, Khan instituted a civil defamation suit, contending that the uploaded content was entirely speculative, false, and intentionally designed to provoke communal sentiments against him. Khan alleged that Kakkad began a targeted online campaign only after statutory authorities cancelled a proposed land transaction involving a plot adjacent to the farmhouse on grounds of illegality—an action Kakkad falsely imputed to the influence of Khan and his family.
The Appeal Before the High Court
The current proceedings before the High Court stem from an appeal filed by Khan against an order of a lower civil court, which had previously rejected his application for interim relief seeking the removal of the videos and an injunction against further remarks.
During the hearing, Justice Deshmukh questioned the growing practice of litigating civil and property disputes in the court of public opinion rather than through the appropriate statutory mechanisms:
"Just because one has access to social media does not mean they can upload videos about any person, whether a common citizen or a celebrity, merely to defame them. Why upload such videos on social media instead of addressing grievances with the authorities concerned?"
Observations on Judicial Time and Intermediaries
The Bench expressed strong disapproval regarding the continuous circulation of the allegedly defamatory material. Justice Deshmukh remarked that valuable judicial resources should not be expended on examining and parsing whether individual online videos ought to remain active in the public domain.
Addressing the defence that some copies of the content were being circulated by third parties, the High Court pointed out that legal steps could effectively be taken to secure their deletion through social media intermediaries. The defamation suit also impleads major technology platforms as proforma respondents, including Google, YouTube, Facebook, and X.
Arguments by Counsel
Appearing for Salman Khan, a legal team briefed by DSK Legal—comprising Advocates Chirag Mody, Parag Khandhar, Chandrima Mitra, Tapan Radkar, and Zara Dhanboora—argued that the continuous availability of the communally sensitive and derogatory posts caused ongoing prejudice to the actor’s reputation.
Conversely, Advocates Abha Singh and Aditya Pratap Singh, appearing on behalf of Kakkad, opposed the interim plea. They maintained that the statements made by their client were factual, pertained directly to the land dispute, and did not cross into the threshold of defamation. They further argued that because Khan is a prominent public figure, details surrounding his property activities were already within the public domain.
The High Court has directed the respondent to consider the deletion of the posts and has scheduled the matter for its next detailed hearing on July 6, 2026.
Discription: The Bombay High Court has observed that social media access is not a licence to defame, urging a neighbour of actor Salman Khan to consider deleting contentious online posts. Hearing an appeal by Khan against a lower court’s refusal of interim relief, Justice Sharmila Deshmukh stated that property disputes must be resolved through proper legal forums rather than the court of public opinion. The dispute involves adjoining plots in Panvel, where the neighbour, Ketan Kakkad, uploaded YouTube videos alleging environmental violations by the actor. Khan's counsel argued the posts were false, speculative, and communally provocative, while Kakkad’s defense maintained they were factual. Disapproving of the waste of valuable judicial time on reviewing viral content, the Bench suggested voluntary deletion before the next hearing on July 6, 2026.
