Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone were granted relief by the Rajasthan High Court over an FIR lodged against them in Bharatpur. The court stayed an FIR against the two actors and others, named in a complaint by a local car owner who allegedly held the actors, who were brand ambassadors, responsible for the defective vehicle. In his FIR registered earlier this month, the man named both stars, along with six others, accountable for ‘misleading consumers’. In response, both SRK and Deepika, through their legal counsel, moved the Rajasthan High Court seeking to have the FIR quashed, arguing that their roles as brand ambassadors were ‘limited’ and did not extend to ‘technical aspects’. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Shah Rukh, argued that the actor had no direct connection to the case and could not be held responsible for the alleged ‘defects’. He highlighted that endorsements do not imply responsibility for manufacturing standards. Advocate Madhav Mitra, representing Deepika Padukone, also put forth a similar defence, stating that she too had no role to play in the production or quality control.The FIR against the Bollywood actors hit the headlines when advocate Kirti Singh claimed he suffered financial loss due to defects in the car he purchased. He further claimed that endorsements by SRK and Deepika misled customers. However, the defence reportedly pointed out that Singh had been using the vehicle for nearly three years and had clocked over 67,000 kilometres before registering the complaint. They argued that if he had grievances about the car, he should have approached the consumer court.The legal counsel of all the accused also jointly emphasised that no specific allegations of wrongdoing had been made against their clients.Justice Sudesh Bansal, hearing the matter in Jodhpur, observed that the FIR lacked any factual basis. The court ordered a stay on the FIR, and provided the actors with interim relief. The same was also extended to the 6 company officials. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for September 25.
