New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday adjourned the hearing on Hindi film industry actor Salman Khan’s plea seeking to restrain the release of the proposed film Kala Hiran, without granting any interim relief at this stage.
A vacation Bench of Justice Madhu Jain directed that a complete copy of the plaint and accompanying documents be supplied to the respondent filmmaker and listed the matter for hearing July 1.
During the hearing, Salman Khan’s counsel, advocate Nizam Pasha, submitted that the film is purportedly based on the actor’s life and has been produced without his consent.
While pressing for interim relief, Pasha also informed the high court that the poster and trailer of the film had already been released, though the release date of the movie is yet to be announced.
Opposing the plea for urgent relief, counsel appearing for the filmmakers submitted that they had not been served the complete set of documents in the case.
“On Wednesday, they served me only a copy of the application, not the plaint,” the counsel argued, adding that the filmmakers were receiving death threats over the project and that an FIR had already been lodged.
After hearing the parties, the Delhi High Court directed Salman Khan to furnish the complete set of documents, including the plaint, to the respondent and fixed the matter for arguments July 1. Shortly thereafter, the actor’s counsel mentioned the matter again and contended that the filmmakers had already been served, seeking an earlier hearing date.
However, Justice Jain observed that the matter had already been listed in July and declined to advance the hearing.
The dispute reached the Delhi High Court days after Salman Khan’s legal team issued a notice to the makers of Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy, asking them to halt the release of the film and remove all promotional material, including posters and publicity content.
Directed by Bharat S. Shrinet and produced by Amit Jani, the film is inspired by the blackbuck poaching case involving Salman Khan and also portrays his alleged rivalry with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The makers have described it as a blend of courtroom drama and crime thriller mounted on an international scale.
The controversy surrounding the film has intensified in recent days, with producer Jani alleging that he has been receiving death threats ahead of the movie’s release. June 18, Jani claimed that a Pakistani terrorist had threatened him with a drone and grenade attack over the film and said that he had informed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Rajasthan Police, and CRPF officials. Subsequently, Jani alleged that he received a second death threat within 24 hours.
In a complaint lodged with police in Jodhpur, he claimed that an unidentified caller, identifying himself as a Salman Khan fan, threatened to kill him within three days. The producer urged authorities to immediately register a case and arrest the accused.
