Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn failed to get relief from the Supreme Court in connection with an eviction suit filed against him and was asked him to appear before a court of small causes in Mumbai.
“What is this? Why can’t you appear? You (Devgn) appear before the lower court,” a bench of justices V Gopala Gowda and R Banumathi said while dismissing his plea.
The “Singham Returns” star had pleaded that he be either allowed to depose in the small causes court through video conferencing or a court-appointed panel be asked to record his statement. He has challenged the orders passed by the court of small causes in Mumbai and the Bombay High Court respectively rejecting his pleas that his cross examination be conducted “via video conferencing or before the court-appointed commissioner instead of in court”.
The law suit was filed by Maazda Theaters Pvt Ltd against the actor and Vipul Bhikalal Sangavi who have their office in Naaz Cinema Building on D B Marg in South Mumbai. The high court, on October 10, last year, had dismissed Devgn’s plea that he be examined through video conferencing or a commission be appointed to record his testimony. The plea said the actor had been appearing and was present before the court on April 15, 2014.
Later, a crowd gathered in the court premises and caused constant disturbance and impediment in smooth recording of his evidence, it said.
“The petitioner is a well-known actor and he is treated as a public figure. Because of his profession and status in the society, he apprehends that his fans would accumulate in the court and create disturbance or make him extra conscious and create situation, whereby he will not be able to make proper and appropriate deposition in the cross examination, and the same may result in miscarriage of justice. There are also chances of people gathering and creating obstruction in smooth recording of evidence,” it said.
