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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Former India hockey coach Michael Nobbs dies
Melbourne (PTI): Former Australian hockey player Michael Nobbs, who coached the Indian men's team at the 2012 London Olympics, has died after a prolonged illness.
He was 72 years old and is survived by his wife Lee Capes, a former Australian women's international and daughter Kaitlin, who is a current Hockeyroos star.
"Hockey Australia extends its deepest condolences to Michael’s family, friends, former teammates, players and all those whose lives and careers were shaped by his contribution to hockey. He will be remembered as a proud Kookaburra, a respected professional, and a servant of the sport," Hockey Australia said in a statement.
Nobbs represented Australia as a defender, playing across the half-back line and at fullback, and was renowned for his reliability, fitness and professionalism. He earned 76 international caps for Australia between 1979 and 1985, scoring one goal, and was a member of one of the strongest eras in Australian men’s hockey, said Hockey Australia on its website in its tribute.
Nobbs was an integral part of the Australian teams that competed at the 1981 Hockey World Cup in Bombay and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
While part of a generation widely regarded as one of Australia’s finest, he consistently held his place through hard work, discipline and trust earned from teammates and coaches, Hockey Australia wrote.
Nobbs took over the coaching of the Indian men's team in 2011 after it had failed to qualify for the Beijing Games in 2008. While India were brilliant in the qualifiers, the team finished last at the London extravaganza which also expedited the Australian coach's sacking.
Apart from India, Nobbs also coached Japan.
