Nawazuddin Siddiqui seeks INR1b in damages from ex-wife, brother-in-law for ‘defamation’

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has filed a defamation suit against his former wife Aaliya Siddiqui, also known as Zainab Siddiqui, in the Bombay High Court. The actor is seeking INR1 billion in damages and a written apology from both Aaliya and her brother Shamasuddin Siddiqui, whom he accused of making false and defamatory statements about him, reported PTI.

The suit alleges that Shamasuddin, who was Nawazuddin's manager in 2008, assigned all financial work to him, and later cheated and defrauded him by purchasing properties using the actor's money. When Nawazuddin raised queries about the fraud, Shamasuddin instigated Aaliya to file a false case against him.

Nawazuddin has also urged the High Court to permanently restrain Aaliya and Shamasuddin from making any statements that would defame him, accusing them of misappropriating INR210 million from him. The suit claims that when the actor demanded that the properties be returned to him, Shamasuddin and Aaliya teamed up against him and started blackmailing him with "cheap videos and comments on social media."

The case will reportedly be heard on March 30 by a single bench of Justice Riyaz Chagla. Meanwhile, Shamasuddin has responded to the defamation suit by levying multiple accusations against Nawazuddin, claiming that he ruined eleven years of his life and committed eleven other serious offences. He also alleged that the actor has been married thrice.

Nawazuddin made headlines in January when Aaliya claimed that she was being harassed at his home in Mumbai. She had returned with their children from Dubai, and the actor's mother had filed a complaint against her over a property dispute.

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