Bata India sued for libel in the Delhi High Court over a scene in the 2017 movie Jolly LLB 2. The court refused to take out the names of star Akshay Kumar and movie theatre chains PVR and INOX. The register said that their role in the case must be looked into and cannot be thrown out at this point.
The case is about a line in the movie clip that said something bad about Bata, which the company said hurt its image.
What Akshay Kumar Still Has to Do with the Case
Akshay Kumar said that he shouldn’t be involved in the case because his character didn’t say the lines and he didn’t take part in writing or okaying them. He also said that he had nothing to do with making the movie.
On the other hand, the court office said that Akshay Kumar had shared the video on social media, which could have made the allegedly slanderous content go viral. People thought this show was important because he had a lot of fans.
It was also noted by the register that Akshay Kumar is a brand spokesperson for a competing shoe company. This made people wonder if there might have been a financial interest at play. The register decided that his part should be looked at during the hearing for these reasons.
Why PVR and INOX Didn’t Get Dumped
They said they were just showing the movie and had nothing to do with making the video or the movie itself. They said they showed the clip because the Central Board of Film Certification had approved the movie.
This case was turned down by the register, which said that a license does not immediately shield vendors from legal duty. It was also noticed that both movie theatre chains kept showing the video even after Bata sent them a formal warning.
The register said that PVR and INOX had to stay in the case because these problems need to be looked at in more depth.
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A Brief History of the Bata Defamation Case
Bata sued in 2017 because the trailer for Jolly LLB 2 showed a scene in court where the brand was named in a way that Bata thought hurt its reputation. Bata said that the discussion connected its goods with being less important in society.
After getting the complaint, the speech was changed before the movie came out in theatres. But Bata said that the damage was already done because the video had been shown to a lot of people.
What Comes Next
Since the register made its ruling, Akshay Kumar, PVR, INOX, the film’s creators, and other people named in the case will continue to be tried. The court will now look closely at what each party did before choosing who is responsible.
The decision shows that companies and famous people can still be questioned in court if their actions may have helped spread content that is said to be offensive.
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