A Mumbai court restraining the smartphone game “Selmon Bhoi,” which was reportedly modelled on Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s hit-and-run case, has been rescinded. The actor had petitioned the court for an injunction against the game, claiming that his “image” would be harmed if the Parody Studios Pvt Ltd came into play.
The order was issued by Judge KM Jaiswal, and a copy was made public on Tuesday.
Khan stated that he learned about the game in the last week of August. ‘Selmon Bhoi’ was then presented in court under the heading ‘driver on a killing spree.’
“Upon seeing the aforementioned game, the name of the game as well as the graphics, (it) prima facie fits the identify of the plaintiff (Khan), as also evidenced in photographs submitted on record,” the court stated.
According to the ruling, the game’s creators, Parody Studios Pvt Ltd, and its directors are not permitted to disseminate, publish, relaunch, or recreate the game or any Salman Khan-related content. According to the ruling, the game must be removed from all platforms where it is now available.
“Upon watching the game and its photos, it prima facie corresponds with the identification of the plaintiff (Khan) and to the hit-and-run case related to the plaintiff,” the court stated, adding that the actor had not consented to the game.
“When the plaintiff has not given his approval for the development of the game, which is extremely similar to his identity and the case against him, his right to privacy is surely being robbed, and his image is also being damaged,” the ruling stated.
Khan stated that the name and pictures in the game looked to be caricatures of him.
“The game creators knowingly obtained economic benefit by abusing our client’s personality rights without asking our client’s agreement,” according to the actor’s application, which was submitted through law firm DSK Legal.
The court ordered the developers to produce an affidavit in response to Khan’s petition and set the case for further hearing on September 20.
Khan was cleared of all counts in the 2002 hit-and-run case by the Bombay High Court in 2015.