The Bombay High Court on Monday expressed concerns about media reports on actor Shilpa Shetty's minor children following her husband Raj Kundra's arrest in the porn films racket case. Justice Gautam Patel was hearing a defamation suit filed by Shetty against various media houses for sensationalism to increase their readership and free-ride on her popularity after Kundra's arrest.
On Monday, a Metropolitan Magistrate granted Kundra and his associate bail in the case.
In July, the court had refused to pass a blanket gag on the media. It had explicitly said that none of the publications should be involved with the publication of Shetty as a parent to minor children.It had ordered Capital TV to take down their video. Heena Kumawat from Film Window and Shivkant Gautam of Shudh Manoranjan were directed not to re-upload their videos.
Before posting the matter for hearing on October 1, Justice Patel observed.
"I am not concerned about Shilpa Shetty…she will handle herself. I am more concerned about her minor children. Media reports on Shetty's personal life with her children are of concern…in such matters, it is the children who are in the centre," the court added.
The concerned organisations should be jointly and severally ordered and decreed to pay Rs. 25 Crores by way of damages together with interest thereon @ 18% p.a from the date of filing of the suit till payment, Shetty seeks as final reliefs.
She has accused media houses of invading her privacy and interfering in her personal life by publishing incorrect and derogatory statements concerning her life and relationship with her husband. “These websites of the Defendants are freely accessible by any and every person and there is no requirement of any prior subscription to access the articles and comments posted on the Defendant's website. Thus, the defamatory content published by the Defendants as set out herein below is freely available to the world at large," the plea states.