Nora Fatehi Faces Rs. 3 Crore Defamation Suit Over ‘Toy Plane’ Remarks
Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi is facing a Rs. 3 crore civil defamation lawsuit after allegedly describing a chartered aircraft as a “small,” “toy” and “Lego plane.”
Deeans Aviation, a chartered aircraft operator in India, filed the lawsuit in a court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, alleging that Fatehi’s remarks damaged the company’s reputation and caused financial losses.
According to a PTI report, Fatehi travelled from Mumbai to Jaipur on a Cessna Citation CJ2 operated by Deeans Aviation in December last year. During the flight, she reportedly recorded several videos inside the aircraft and shared them on her Instagram account.
The company alleges that Fatehi made disparaging comments about the aircraft in the videos. With more than 46 million Instagram followers, her remarks quickly reached a large audience, the lawsuit claims.
Deeans Aviation has alleged that Fatehi made the comments without sufficient technical knowledge or verification of the facts. The company described the remarks as “irresponsible” and “reckless.”
The operator further claims that bookings for its chartered aircraft fell by 15% to 20% after the videos were posted, while cancellations increased. It has alleged that the posts affected its reputation, customer confidence and business operations.
However, these allegations have not yet been proven in court.
Company Defends Aircraft’s Safety
Deeans Aviation has maintained that the aircraft in question was completely safe and fit to fly. The company said the aircraft was approved by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and operated under a valid Non-Scheduled Operators Permit.
The company also claimed that comments from a high-profile celebrity could create confusion among the public and lead to negative perceptions about the aircraft’s safety and capabilities.
Rs. 3 Crore Compensation Sought
The lawsuit, filed in April this year, seeks Rs. 3 crores in damages from Fatehi. The company has also asked the court to order her to remove the relevant videos and posts from social media and issue a public clarification regarding her remarks.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 25 before Senior Civil Judge R. Agarwal in Gandhinagar.
Fatehi has not yet publicly commented on the lawsuit.
