Gunjan Chaudhary
Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone have been granted relief by the Rajasthan High Court on an FIR lodged against them in Bharatpur. The court has put a stay on the FIR against the two stars and others. The two were named in a complaint by a local car owner who had allegedly held the actors, who were brand ambassadors, responsible for a faulty vehicle.
Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone
Let us tell you that in the FIR filed earlier this month, the man had accused the two actors, as well as six others, of ‘misleading consumers’. In response, both Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika, through their legal advisors, moved to the Rajasthan High Court seeking quashing of the FIR, arguing that their role as brand ambassadors was ‘limited’.
Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Shah Rukh Khan, argued that the actor had no direct connection with the case and could not be held responsible for the alleged ‘deficiencies’. He stressed that advertisements do not imply responsibility for manufacturing standards. Advocate Madhav Mitra, representing Deepika Padukone, also made a similar defence, saying that she too had no role in production or quality control.
Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone
The FIR against the Bollywood stars hit the headlines after advocate Kirti Singh claimed that they had suffered financial losses due to defects in the car they had purchased. He further claimed that Shah Rukh and Deepika’s advertisements misled customers. However, the defence reportedly pointed out that Singh had been using the car for almost three years and had driven it for over 67,000 km before filing the complaint. He argued that if he had any complaints with the car, he should have approached the consumer court. The lawyers of all the accused also jointly insisted that no specific wrongdoings have been alleged against their clients. Justice Sudesh Bansal, who is hearing the case in Jodhpur, said that the FIR has no factual basis.