Chadha had sought
Rs 1.1 crore as monetary compensation. (File)Days after actor Richa Chadha filed a defamation suit against an actor, who had accused filmmaker Anurag Kashyap of sexual misconduct, the Bombay High Court on Monday granted them two days to file “consent terms” settling the dispute.
The actor had on October 7 told the HC that she was willing to apologise to Chadha and withdraw her remarks, in which she had said that Kashyap had mentioned to her that actors like Chadha, Huma Qureshi and Mahie Gill granted him sexual favours to bag film assignments.
A single judge bench of Justice Anil K Menon was hearing the defamation suit filed against the actor, film critic Kamaal R Khan, a news channel and others. Chadha’s application, filed through senior counsel Veerendra Tulzapurkar and advocate Saveena Bedi Sachar, had also sought Rs 1.1 crore as monetary compensation.
Sachar on Monday told the court that the actor, after the court hearing on October 7, had put up a social media post saying she would never apologise. She had tweeted: “I am not apologising to anyone. I have not wronged nor have I given a wrong statement about anyone. I just said what Kashyap told me.”
Justice Menon sought to know from the actor’s lawyer if she was interested in settling the matter with Chadha. To this, advocate Nitin Satpute said that his client was withdrawing her statement and apologising but with certain conditions. “After settling the matter, Chadha should not file any criminal case against the defendant,” he added.
Satpute added that Chadha, after the hearing on October 7, had told the media that she had won the case. “This resulted in the defendant being trolled on social media. But we would like to settle the matter,” he said.
Chadha’s lawyer, however, said that her client had not made any such statement to the media and would not apologise.
The HC said that if the parties were willing to settle the matter, it would be best if they talk to each other and file consent terms. It added that no further time would be given on Wednesday – the next date of hearing – to file consent terms.
The court continued with its interim order putting a temporary injunction and restraining news channel and unknown persons from sharing or adding any content under dispute in regard to the case.
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