HC asks actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, his brother to avoid remarks against each other on social media
Mumbai, Apr 12: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his brother Shamasuddin not to post or upload any remarks against each other on social media for the "sake of maintaining equity" and in light of efforts to amicably resolve issues between them.
A single bench of Justice R I Chagla gave the direction while hearing a defamation suit filed by the 48-year-old actor seeking Rs 100 crore in damages from his brother for posting alleged defamatory statements against him on social media.
The bench directed the brothers to remain present in his chambers along with their lawyers on May 3 to explore the possibility of an amicable settlement.
The suit has also named the actor's ex-wife Zainab, but on Wednesday Nawazuddin Siddiqui's counsel Abhinav Chandrachud told the court that said since the former couple was trying to resolve their issues amicably the actor did not wish to pursue the defamation suit against her.
Advocate Rumi Mirza, appearing for Shamasuddin Siddiqui, told the HC settlement talks are going on between Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his ex-wife due to intervention of a division bench of the high court and that with the help of this bench, a similar arrangement could take place between the warring brothers.
Chandrachud, however, said any talks between the brothers could begin only when Shamasuddin Siddiqui takes down his defamatory posts in which the award winning actor has been allegedly called a "rapist and molester".
The court agreed and said for any settlement, the posts in question will have to be deleted and both the brothers shall refrain from posting on social media any further remarks against each other.
"In view of settlement talks, there will not be any (social media) posts against each other, there will be no aspersions cast against each other, in view of possibility of an amicable settlement. It is to maintain equity between parties so that there are no further posts against each other," Justice Chagla said.
Meanwhile, a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sharmila Deshmukh was on Wednesday informed that the discord between the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' actor and his ex-wife Zainab over education of their two minor children has been resolved.
The court was told the children would be travelling back to Dubai to attend their school.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui seeking a direction to Zainab to reveal the whereabouts of the two children.
The 'Sacred Games' star had claimed Zainab had brought the children back to India without informing him and that they were not attending school in Dubai.
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ED cracks down on suspected interstate liquor racket, raids 9 sites in Arunachal
Itanagar (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has carried out coordinated searches at nine locations across Arunachal Pradesh in connection with a suspected large-scale interstate liquor smuggling and money laundering network, officials said on Monday.
The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is part of an expanding probe that points to a syndicate exploiting tax differentials among states.
Officials said liquor designated for sale within Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly diverted and supplied illegally to markets in Assam and other states.
The searches, conducted earlier this week, spanned multiple towns such as Itanagar, Naharlagun, Seppa, Ziro, Daporijo, Namsai and Roing, targeting wholesale liquor businesses suspected of being linked to the network.
According to officials, the investigation stems from a series of FIRs registered by Assam Police over the illegal transportation of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh into Assam.
Inputs from the Assam Excise Department further strengthened the case. An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was registered on October 17, 2024, and later widened through an addendum incorporating 173 additional FIRs.
Earlier searches conducted on February 4 last year, at premises linked to three alleged key operators, believed to be major liquor manufacturers, had revealed indications of a well-coordinated operation.
Investigators suspect that the network functioned through a chain of manufacturers, bonded warehouses and wholesalers, while masking real ownership using proxy arrangements such as tribal partnerships and dummy licence holders.
During the latest ED operations, the agency found that several wholesale units were operating under proxy licences issued in the names of local individuals, while actual control remained with the suspected masterminds.
Financial scrutiny revealed that between 51 and 90 per cent of total credits in certain bank accounts comprised unexplained cash deposits.
Investigators also flagged a pattern of invoice splitting, with transactions deliberately kept below Rs 2 lakh to avoid scrutiny. In one instance, more than 200 invoices of identical value of Rs 1,99,554 were generated within a single month at one location.
On-ground staff reportedly confirmed that records, including stock registers and daily cash collections, were being routed to offices associated with the alleged controllers.
The ED said it seized approximately Rs 40 lakh in unaccounted cash during the searches.
In a significant finding, 14 seals, some purportedly belonging to the Excise Department of the Arunachal Pradesh government, were recovered from one of the premises. These are suspected to have been used to create fake transport permits to facilitate the unauthorised movement of liquor.
Further investigation is underway, officials added.
