The notice follows an article published by ANI on September 4, which referenced statements by lawyer Amit Mishra, who represents Vicky Kumar Gupta. Mishra claimed in a media interview that his client and co-accused, Sagar Pal, were receiving threats from members of Dawood’s gang.
Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan issued a legal notice to Asia News International (ANI) and the legal team of the two individuals accused in the shooting outside his home, seeking an apology for claims that he has “known links” to underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s “D-Company.”
This legal action follows a news article published by ANI, which included quotes from advocate Amit Mishra, the lawyer representing the accused, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal.
The notice follows an article published by a news agency on September 4, which referenced statements by lawyer Amit Mishra, who represents Vicky Kumar Gupta. Mishra claimed in a media interview that his client and co-accused, Sagar Pal, were receiving threats from members of Dawood’s gang.
Mishra further alleged that Khan had connections with Dawood’s associates and wanted the two accused men killed, based on accusations made by Gupta and Pal. The lawyer also mentioned that the accused had written to the central, Maharashtra, and Bihar governments seeking protection.
Khan’s lawyers described the allegations as “absolutely false, baseless, malicious, grossly defamatory, misleading, and damaging,” asserting that they were intended to harm the actor’s hard-earned reputation and public image.
The legal notice asserts, “Our client (Khan) refutes all allegations made by Mishra in the article, stating that these claims are completely false, baseless, malicious, grossly defamatory, misleading, and damaging. They are intended to tarnish our client’s hard-earned reputation and goodwill with the public. Our client emphasizes that he is, in fact, a victim of the criminal act committed against him by certain individuals and has no connection to the accused in any way.”
Khan argues that the allegations are completely misguided, misconceived, and unfounded, claiming that Mishra and ANI are making these defamatory statements solely to create controversy and attract media attention at the expense of his reputation.
“Our client asserts that this is merely a tactic to elicit public sympathy and divert attention from the real issues. He maintains that the accusations against him are entirely untrue and have been made with the intent to defame, malign, and harm his reputation and goodwill, thereby undermining his moral and intellectual character in the eyes of the public and subjecting him to ridicule,”
the notice states.
The notice criticized the lawyer and media outlet for using the claims to gain public sympathy, stating that such conduct constitutes criminal defamation under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Khan’s legal team has demanded the news agency remove the article and refrain from publishing further defamatory remarks. Additionally, the actor seeks an unconditional apology from both the lawyer and the media outlet.
Gupta and Pal are two of the nine individuals accused in the shooting incident outside Salman Khan’s residence on April 14 of this year. Police reports indicate that Gupta was driving a motorcycle with Pal as the passenger when Pal allegedly fired shots at Khan’s home. The attack was reportedly planned by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and overseen by Anmol Bishnoi, the gangster’s brother based in Canada.
