Mumbai: The Delhi High Court has directed the removal of social media links related to the upcoming film ‘Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy’ from X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube while hearing actor Salman Khan’s petition alleging violation of his personality rights.
The court also strongly criticised the film’s producer, Amit Jani, observing that he appeared to be acting as though he was “above the law” despite the matter being under judicial consideration.
Court questions producer over teaser
During the hearing, the Delhi High Court reprimanded producer Amit Jani and remarked that he seemed to have taken comfort from the fact that no restraining order had been passed during the previous hearing.
“You seem to think you are above the law. Things are only getting worse day by day. You cannot do this even to an ordinary citizen,” the court observed.
In response, Amit Jani’s counsel argued that the released content was only a teaser and did not violate Salman Khan’s personality rights.
The counsel submitted that the teaser neither mentioned Salman Khan by name nor contained any deepfake or AI-generated content. It was also argued that there is no legal protection over public events or performances.
Salman Khan’s counsel raises concerns
Representing Salman Khan, the actor’s counsel told the court that in three of the four criminal cases referred to in the teaser, the actor had already been acquitted, while the sentence in the fourth case had been stayed.
The counsel argued that the teaser attempted to portray Salman Khan negatively and could potentially incite an entire community against him.
Salman Khan has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights and challenging the release and promotion of the film.
Film linked to 1998 blackbuck poaching case
The teaser of ‘Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy’, released on July 17, featured multiple references associated with Salman Khan’s films, including Dabangg and Sikander.
Directed by Bharat S. Shrinet and produced by Amit Jani, the film is reportedly inspired by Salman Khan’s 1998 blackbuck poaching case and also depicts his alleged rivalry with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
The blackbuck poaching case dates back to October 1998, when Salman Khan was accused of illegally hunting two endangered blackbucks during the shooting of the film Hum Saath-Saath Hain near Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
The matter remains under judicial consideration, with the Delhi High Court directing the removal of the teaser links from social media platforms pending further proceedings.