HC judge unable to pass order on Salman's plea in defamation case against neighbour
Mumbai (PTI): A judge of the Bombay High Court on Thursday said it would not be possible to pronounce order on an appeal filed by actor Salman Khan in a defamation case against his neighbour due to the paucity of time.
Khan's plea will now be heard afresh by another judge. Justice C V Bhadang, who had heard the arguments in the case and reserved his order, is retiring on Friday. Khan's appeal would now be placed before another judge after the Diwali vacation and heard afresh.
Justice Bhadang had in August begun the hearing on the appeal filed by the actor against a lower court order of March 2022. The lower court had refused to restrain Ketan Kakkad, who owns land near Khan's farmhouse at Panvel, from posting derogatory video posts against the actor.
It had also refused to direct Kakkad to delete his earlier YouTube videos. On October 11, Justice Bhadang closed the matter for orders after arguments were over.
"Unfortunately I am unable to complete the judgement. I tried my level best till last evening. But unfortunately there was vacation and then administrative work, and I had other assignments. I will have to list this as part heard," the HC judge said on Thursday.
"I understand the apprehension of the parties and that substantial time and efforts went into this. I would have loved to decide this case either way. Unfortunately this came at the fag end of my career," he added.
The Bollywood star has filed a defamation suit against Kakkad in the lower court over videos uploaded by Kakkad on social media about Khan's activities at his farmhouse in Panvel near Mumbai.
When the civil court refused to pass any interim restraining orders against Kakkad, Khan moved the HC.
The posts uploaded by Kakkad were not only defamatory but also communal and provocative in nature, his plea said.
Kakkad's lawyers Abha Singh and Aditya Singh claimed that the defamation suit was filed by the actor to pressurize their client to give up his land.
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8 children between ages of 1 and 14 dead after mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
