Nawazuddin Siddiqui's ₹100 Crore Defamation Case Against Ex-Wife, Brother Dismissed: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected a ₹100 crore defamation suit filed by actor and producer Nawazuddin Siddiqui against his former wife, Anjana Pandey, also known as Aaliya Siddiqui, and his brother, Shamasuddin Siddiqui.

As reported by Live Law, Justice Jitendra Jain dismissed the case for non-prosecution. However, the detailed order is yet to be released. Siddiqui had sought compensation for alleged defamation and damage to his reputation, stating that the actions of his ex-wife and brother had deeply affected his professional and personal life.

According to the publication, the suit states that Siddiqui appointed his younger brother as his manager in 2008 because he was unemployed at the time. Shamsuddin was also responsible for auditing, filing income tax returns, and handling GST payments. The suit mentions that Siddiqui gave Shamsuddin access to his credit and debit cards, ATM cards, a signed cheque book, bank passwords, and email address so he could focus on his acting career.

However, Siddiqui alleged in the suit that Shamsuddin later began cheating and defrauding him. He further claimed that his brother purchased properties jointly but falsely told him they were being bought in Siddiqui’s name.

According to Live Law, the properties include a flat and a semi-commercial property on Yari Road, land in Buldhana, a farmhouse in Shahpur, a property in Dubai, and 14 vehicles, such as Range Rovers, BMWs, and a Ducati, as stated by Siddiqui in his plaint.

Thamma actor reportedly alleged that when he confronted Shamsuddin, his younger brother provoked his ex-wife to file false cases against him. The petition further states that Anjana Pandey falsely claimed to be an unmarried Muslim before their marriage, even though she was already married to someone else.

Siddiqui also alleged that his brother and ex-wife misappropriated ₹20 crore. The suit adds that, as Siddiqui’s manager, Shamsuddin had access to many of his meetings and secretly made audio and video recordings of those conversations.

According to Live Law, Siddiqui ended Shamsuddin’s role as his manager in 2020. After that, Siddiqui claimed he started receiving legal notices from the Income Tax, GST, and other government departments over unpaid dues of ₹37 crore that Shamsuddin had allegedly failed to clear.

The report further mentioned that, as stated in the petition, Shamsuddin and Pandey began blackmailing Siddiqui with "cheap videos" and social media comments when he demanded the return of his properties. It also alleged that Shamsuddin involved his brothers in these actions.

The suit claimed that Siddiqui’s upcoming films were delayed because of the false videos and posts shared by Shamsuddin and Pandey. He further stated that the defamatory posts and articles made him feel too embarrassed to attend public events or social gatherings.

Siddiqui sought a permanent injunction to stop Shamsuddin and Pandey from defaming him and sharing such content online. He also demanded a written public apology and the removal of all defamatory posts from social media.

However, the court dismissed the case after Siddiqui and his legal team repeatedly failed to appear for the scheduled hearings.

Due to this procedural lapse, the bench struck down the suit for non-prosecution, effectively closing this chapter of the ongoing dispute.