Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui files Rs 100 cr defamation suit against brother, ex-wife in Bombay HC

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has filed a defamation suit in Bombay High Court against his brother Shamasuddin and former wife Anjana Pandey seeking Rs100 crores as damages for the defamation and harassment he faced.

The suit was filed through advocate Sunil Kumar, and was mentioned before the bench of Justice Riyaz Chagla. It will be heard on March 30.

According to the suit, Siddiqui appointed his younger brother Shamsuddin as his manager in 2008 when he was jobless and gave his credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, signed checkbook, bank passwords, and email address to Shamsuddin for the work so that he could concentrate on his acting.

Shamsuddin also had the work of auditing, filing income tax returns, payment of GST and so on.

The petition says that Shamsuddin started cheating and defrauding Siddiqui. Being a busy actor, he did not have the time to concentrate and co-ordinate with the bank about his transactions and expenses made by Shamasuddin, Siddiqui claims.

Shamsuddin also brought properties jointly but told Siddiqui that the properties were being bought in his name.

The properties include a flat and a semi-commercial property in Yari Road, a place in Buldhana, a farmhouse in Shahpur, a property in Dubai, and 14 vehicles including Range Rovers, BMWs, Ducati, etc. says Siddiqui in the petition.

The petition also says that when questioned, Shamsuddin instigated Siddiqui's former wife to file false cases against him. It further says that Anjana Pandey presented herself to be unmarried Muslim before their marriage despite being married to someone else which came as a shock to Siddiqui when he got to know the truth.

Siddiqui claims that Shamsuddin and Pandey have misappropriated Rs. 20 Crore and that as his manager, Shamsuddin had access to many of Siddiqui's meetings both formal and informal, and made audio and video recordings of the conversations.

The suit states that these are very personal in nature and cannot be made public.

After Siddiqui removed Shamsuddin as his manager in 2020, Siddiqui received legal notices from Income Tax, GST, and other government departments for unpaid dues of Rs. 37 Crores that Shamsuddin failed to pay, the suit claims.

Siddiqui has urged the court to pass an injunction to permanently restrain Shamsuddin and Pandey from defaming him. He has also appealed that his brother and former wife be directed to not publish any defamatory content on their social media platform and to withdraw the defamatory allegations made against him by them on their social platforms.

Siddiqui also seeks a written public apology for defaming him. He has further urged that the court direct the two to make a complete disclosure about the people they have approached to convey false and malicious information.

The plea states that following the disclosure, the two may be restrained from disposing of or dealing with their assets in any manner, especially which may adversely affect Siddiqui from recovering the damages caused or other pecuniary remedies from them which the court may deem fit and proper.

The suit states that many of Siddiqui's family, friends and community members told him that he did not have the personality to become an actor, but he did rise to become one.

The actor has also alleged that when he asked for his property back, his brother and ex-wife started blackmailing him with "cheap videos and comments on social media."

Siddiqui alleges that Rs 10 lakh which he had paid for his children's education every month as well as Rs 2.5 crore which he gave to his ex-wife to start a production house, were all instead used for her personal "pleasure and enjoyment."

Siddiqui claims that he has suffered a huge loss of more than Rs.100 Crores due to the false and defamatory statements and false videos and posts posted by the brother and ex-wife.

He claims that his upcoming films were being postponed and the posts and articles by his brother and ex-wife were so defamatory in nature that Siddiqui "himself feels very shy to come to social gatherings and come before the public at large."