Former actress Luveina Lodh's has been once again dragged to the court. This time, Bollywood actress Amyra Dastur has sought damages from Lodh for allegedly calling her a ‘druggie’ and defaming her.
A single-judge bench of Justice Prithviraj Chavan has passed restraining orders against Lodh. The judge has ordered Lodh not to make any public statement against Dastur.
This comes after Dastur filed a defamation lawsuit against Lodh in the Bombay High Court.
In her suit seeking damages, Dastur has taken exception to one of Lodh's social media posts, wherein she has allegedly claimed that Dastur, known for her role in the 2019 release Judgmental Hai Kya, consumed drugs.
In a Twitter post on October 23, Lodh had said, "Meri shaadi Mahesh Bhatt ke bhanje Sumit Sabherwal ke sath huyi thi, aur maine unke khilaaf divorce case file kiya hae kyunki mujhe pata chalgaya tha woh drugs supply karte hain actors ko jaise Amyra Dastur, Sapna Pabbi." (I married Mahesh Bhatt's nephew Sumit Sabherwal but I have filed divorce petition against him after I learnt that he supplied drugs to actors like Amyra Dastur, Sapna Pabbi.)
Through her counsel, Dastur argued that the comment reveals that Lodh has been causing damage to her by persistently and continuously making defamatory and libelous statements on social media as well as electronic media.
"The malicious publications made by Lodh against me are untrue, false and defamatory, allegedly portraying me as a druggist. Such libelous and defamatory statements on social media have caused harm and damage to my reputation in the eyes of the public and in the society at large," Dastur argued.
On the other hand, advocate Prashant Pandey, arguing for Dastur maintained that his client has not at all defamed or caused any damage to Dastur's reputation. "But she has only placed the truth and the facts as noticed on the social and electronic media," the counsel submitted.
Pandey, the bench noted, orally admitted accountability of his client qua the statements made on the social and electronic media. Justice Chavan further sought to know from Pandey if his client - Lodh would refrain from making any such comments till the next date of hearing.
However, Pandey told the judge that his client is ready to undergo a narco analysis test in support of her statements made on social and electronic media. "I am ready to give narco analysis and lie detector test provided even Dastur gets both tests done as she is telling blatant lies," Pandey argued.
"My client has not and does not intend to make any defamatory statement qua Dastur," Pandey submitted. Having considered the submissions, Justice Chavan restrained Lodh from ‘publishing, circulating and/or communicating’ to the public and/or republishing any defamatory or slanderous comments to the public against Dastur."
The matter would be next heard on December 22.
