Delhi High Court directed to remove its teaser on Monday Blackbuck: Battle of the LegacyThe film is reportedly inspired by Salman Khan’s 1998 blackbuck poaching case. The court observed that the content could damage the actor’s reputation and said it would pass an order directing its removal from social media within 24 hours.
Delhi High Court orders removal of Black Deer teaser featuring Salman Khan; Says reputation must be protected
Justice Jyoti Singh said that if the creator fails to remove the teaser, platforms like X and YouTube will be directed to remove the link.
Salman Khan cites personality rights and fair trial concerns
This matter has arisen from Salman Khan’s petition demanding protection of his personality rights. The actor had earlier obtained directions from the court to protect those rights and later filed an application seeking a ban black deerClaiming that it was based on the pending blackbuck poaching case.
According to Khan, the film portrays him as having connections to the underworld and contains defamatory material that violates his personality rights. They also argued that the project could affect their right to a fair trial, as proceedings in the alleged black buck hunting case are still pending before the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court.
The petition further states that the film’s poster features a character resembling Khan, wearing a bracelet commonly associated with the actor. It also cites media reports and statements by producer Amit Jani, which it claims clearly indicate that the film is based on the case in question.
Court criticized the conduct of the producer
The petition also claimed that after Khan sent a legal notice to the filmmakers, Amit Jani publicly tore it apart during an interview and later alleged on social media that he was being threatened by the actor and the underworld.
During the hearing, Justice Singh strongly criticized the producer’s conduct, noting that the teaser continued to damage the actor’s reputation every moment it was online.
The court also commented that such behavior would be unacceptable even if it involved an ordinary citizen, emphasizing that a person’s reputation takes years to build but can be lost very quickly.
Producer says Salman Khan’s name is not in the teaser
The lawyer appearing for the producer argued that Salman Khan’s name was never mentioned in the teaser and artificial intelligence or deepfake technology was not used. It was also submitted that the teaser only depicts public events and there is no specific legal protection to prevent such depictions.
However, Salman Khan’s legal team countered that the teaser clearly mentions the actor. His lawyer further pointed out that Khan had already been acquitted in three of the four criminal cases against him, while the sentence in the remaining case was suspended. The actor also argued that the public portrayal of the pending case could adversely affect his right to a fair trial.
Court asks Salman Khan to submit list of infringing links
After watching the teaser briefly in the court, Justice Singh said the depiction of cases currently under judicial consideration could amount to contempt. The court reiterated the importance of protecting a person’s reputation pending legal proceedings.
The court also discussed the role of digital intermediaries. While lawyers representing Meta and Google argued that online platforms cannot be subject to pre-publication injunctions, Justice Singh said platform owners also bear certain responsibilities.
