Mumbai: Veteran actor Dilip Kumar and his wife Saira Banuhave sent a defamation notice to builder Sameer Bhojwani for making falseclaims of ownership to their Rs 250-crore property in suburban Bandra. In thenotice, they have sought an apology from Bhojwani and Rs 200 crore in damagesfor defaming them in public with their statements. Kumar and Banu had inJanuary 2018 lodged a police complaint, accusing Bhojwani of forging titledocuments of their bungalow worth Rs 250 crore located in Pali Hill area of theupmarket suburb.
On December21, 2018, Bhojwani had issued a public notice claiming he was the “rightfulowner” of the said property. He had further claimed the 96-year-oldthespian was only a “lessee” of the property. Taking objection tothis, Kumar and his actress-wife on December 31, 2018, sent a defamation noticeto Bhojwani for misleading the public with false and defamatory statements. “Bhojwanihas damaged the reputation of Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu in public by makingfalse and defamatory statement against them,” said the notice sent toBhojwani by the star couple’s advocate Chirag Shah. “On the basis offorged and fabricated documents, Bhojwani is claiming ownership of a property,originally owned by Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu,” the notice said.
It added theactor had already filed an FIR with the city police’s Economic Offences Wing(EOW) against Bhojwani and others for criminal conspiracy, cheating andforgery.”Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu are the legitimate owners of the propertysituated at Pali Hill in Bandra and have acquired the same in September1953,” the notice said. The notice further maintained the chargesheetfiled by the police in the case against Bhojwani stated that the realtor hadclaimed ownership of the property on the basis of forged documents. “Bhojwaniissued the public notice on December 21, 2018 with a criminal intention tograb/encroach the legitimate rights of Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu by creating aperception in public that he (Bhojwani) is the owner of the property,” itsaid.
