Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has approached the Bombay High Court claiming damages worth Rs. 100 Crores against his brother Shamsuddin and his former wife Anjana Pandey for alleged defamation and harassment. The suit will be heard on March 30 in the Bombay High court.
Nawaz has alleged his brother of cheating and defrauding him. According to the petition, Nawaz had given his credit cards, ATM cards, bank passwords, etc to his brother who was working with him as his manager in 2008 and Shamas bought properties jointly but told Nawaz that they are being bought under his name. The properties include a flat and a semi-commercial property in Yari Road, a place in Buldhana, a farmhouse in Shahpur, a property in Dubai, and along with this,14 vehicles including Range Rovers, BMWs, Ducati, etc. As per a report by Aaj Tak, Nawaz also alleged his brother Shamas of instigating his wife Aaliya to file false cases against him. The petition also claims that his wife was married to someone else and still presented herself as an unmarried Muslim before their marriage. The actor has also claimed that his estranged wife has misused the Rs 10 lakh per month he gave for their children’s education and Rs 2.5 crores for starting a production house. He claims she used the money on herself.
The petition claims that Nawaz was blackmailed with ‘cheap videos’ and social media comments by Shamas Siddiqui and Aaliya when he demanded his properties back and that they both have misappropriated Rs 20 crores. Further, the petition also states that after Shamas was discontinued as a manager in 2020, Nawaz received legal notices for unpaid dues of Rs 37 crores from Income Tax, GST, and other government departments. The actor has stated in the petition that his upcoming movies have been postponed due to the inappropriate and defamatory videos and posts made by Shamas and Aaliya. He claimed that he has been unable to attend social gatherings because of those posts and videos. Nawaz and Aaliya, whose birth name is Anjana Pandey, tied the knot in 2009. They have two kids - Yani and Shora. The two have been living separately for several years with Aaliya having leveled allegations of harassment and abuse against the actor and his family. She has also filed a property dispute case against him pertaining to the actor's Mumbai bungalow.