Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi has landed in legal trouble after an aviation company reportedly filed a Rs 3 crore civil defamation suit against her at a Gandhinagar court over comments she allegedly made about one of its chartered aircraft. The company has claimed that Nora’s remarks on social media damaged its reputation and affected its business.
According to a report in PTI, Dunes Aviation accused Nora of making “derogatory and reckless” comments after she shared videos from inside one of its aircraft during a Mumbai-Jaipur flight in December last year.
The company has alleged that Nora Fatehi referred to the aircraft as a “miniature”, a “toy” and a “Lego airplane” in the videos posted on her Instagram account.
As per the legal documents, her comments reached a large audience because of her substantial social media following, which the company puts at more than 4.6 crore followers. Dunes Aviation has claimed that the remarks led to booking cancellations and negatively impacted its commercial operations.
The company reportedly described Nora’s statements as “reckless, irresponsible, and made without any technical knowledge, verification or factual basis”. It further claimed that the comments resulted in “serious reputational damage, loss of goodwill and adverse commercial impact”.
Dunes Aviation alleged that its bookings fell by 15-20 per cent following the controversy, while cancellations increased.
In defence of the aircraft, Dunes Aviation said the Cessna Citation CJ2 used for the journey was a standard aircraft and appropriately sized for the flight. It also stated that the aircraft is fully DGCA-certified and airworthy and was being operated legally under a valid Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit (NSOP).
The aviation firm has sought Rs 3 crore in damages from Nora. In addition, it has asked the court to direct the actress to remove social media posts and other online content containing the alleged remarks or references to the aircraft.
The company has also sought a public clarification from Nora over the comments. Reportedly, the matter will be heard by senior civil judge R Agarwal on September 25.