Rohan Umak
Hansika Motwani files defamation case: Actress Hansika Motwani on Thursday moved a Mumbai sessions court and filed a Rs 2 crore defamation suit against her estranged sister-in-law, Muskan Nancy James. The move came from the actress’ side following an already contentious family dispute. In her plea, she sought damages, along with a directive restraining James from making further statements against her. Furthermore, she has also demanded a public apology from James, alleging that defamatory claims made against her on social media have tarnished her reputation severely.
Loan dispute at the core
According to the suit, the controversy stems from an alleged unpaid loan of Rs 27 lakh. Motwani claimed that she paid the amount to James during her marriage to Motwani’s brother, Prashant, and remains unsettled despite repeated requests.
Further in the petition, Motwani contended that the allegations of domestic violence, which James leveled against her and her brother, Prashant, were fabricated to evade repayment. Motwani maintained that she had minimal involvement in her brother’s marital life and was not residing with the couple during their relationship.
James filed FIR against Motwani, her brother earlier
Notably, a legal battle ensued in the case after James filed an FIR against Prashant and Motwani, accusing both of them, as well as their kin of cruelty, harassment and interference in marriage. She also alleged that they demanded expensive gifts and claimed that the stress led to her developing Bell’s Palsy.
Motwani has refuted the aforementioned allegations, asserting she was never part of a shared household and cannot be held accountable for the claims made.
Hansika Motwani files defamation case: Parallel legal proceedings
Apart from the civil defamation suit, Motwani has initiated criminal defamation proceedings under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) before a magistrate’s court in Mumbai’s Andheri. She had also moved the Bombay High Court (HC), seeking to quash the FIR registered against her, arguing that the accusations were unfounded, and intended to damage her public image. The HC has since issued notice on her plea.
Notably, the dispute originates from an alliance between Prashant Motwani and James, who got hitched in 2020, and their marriage hit a rough patch in 2022. Since then, the duo has been living separately and divorce discussions between them are said to have taken place. Motwani, who herself got married in 2022, clarified that she has been living independently, and had no role in the couple’s personal conflicts.
The matter is expected to come up for hearing before the Dindoshi session court in due course.
