On Saturday, the Delhi High Court told veteran actor that he must attend the next court hearing in person if he wishes to continue with his personality rights lawsuit. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav gave his direction after learning that Bachchan has agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the defendants.
According to Bar and Bench, the granted time to Bachchan as his team couldn’t finalise the official paperwork due to logistical issues.
“In the event of non-settlement or incomplete settlement, if the plaintiff wishes to pursue the suit on any of the claims or issues, the plaintiff shall remain personally present on the next date of hearing, enabling the Court to exercise its powers under Order X Rule 2 read with Order V Rule 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and Section 168 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023,” the Court ordered, as per the website.
The next hearing is set for November 16.
However, if the settlement is not finalised by then and Bachchan still wants to pursue his claims, he must show up in court for further questioning.
Amitabh Bachchan’s ongoing case is related to his and unauthorised use of his celebrity status. He had filed the suit seeking a permanent injunction to protect his personality rights.
The case stems from Bachchan’s allegations that several individuals and entities were using his name, voice and image without his permission in order to promote their own goods and services. He sought a permanent injunction restraining the unauthorised use of his personality and publicity rights for personal or commercial gains.
On November 25, 2022, the HC ruled in his favour and granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction.
During the court proceedings, the parties came close to a resolution through mediation amicably. According to the latest update, a settlement has been reached between Bachchan and the defendants, as told to the court on October 9. However, the formal agreement is yet to be signed and presented before the court.
The suit now remains pending before the High Court. The next hearing is expected to reveal whether Bachchan will continue with the lawsuit.
According to ANI, Amitabh Bachchan is being represented by advocates Dhruv Anand, Dhananjay Khanna and Bhavya Verma. Advocates Vinay Mohan Sharma, Tina Garg, M. K. Ghosh, Kushal Kumar and Rishabh Saxena are reportedly appearing for some defendants in this case.
