Actor Akshay Kumar has reportedly filed a Rs500 crore defamation suit against a YouTuber for linking his name with the death by suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
The YouTuber, Rashid Siddiqui, has also been sued by the legal wing of the Shiv Sena, which leads the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, for his allegations against the party. Siddiqui is the host of the YouTube channel Filmy Friday News or FF News.
The newspaper Mid-Day reported that the police had filed charges against Siddiqui of defamation, public mischief and intentional insult. A court granted him anticipatory bail and ordered him to cooperate with the investigation.
The newspaper also said the suit filed by Akshay Kumar alleges that Siddiqui reportedly, and without substantial proof, alleged that the star was upset about Rajput getting films like MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and had secret meetings with the Mumbai police and with Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray to collude against him.
There are several videos on Siddiqui's channel with the host discussing Rajput's death with advocate Vibhor Narayan, who was recently arrested on a charge of spreading fake news.