Akshay Kumar files Rs 500 crore suit against YouTuber for linking him to SSR case

Akshay Kumar has filed a Rs 500 crore defamation suit against a YouTuber from Bihar, as per a report by Mid-Day. Rashid Siddiqui from Bihar brought up Akshay's name in his videos regarding Sushant Singh Rajput death case. The YouTuber used digital media to allegedly mislead people and spread fake news about several celebrities. According to the report, Siddiqui earned around Rs 15 lakh in a span of four months and his subscribers also grew from 2 lakh to over 3 lakh on YouTube.

WHY DID AKSHAY KUMAR SUE THE YOUTUBER?

Rashid Siddiqui, a YouTuber from Bihar, named Akshay Kumar several times in his videos and levelled various allegations against the actor. In one instance, Siddiqui claimed that Akshay was unhappy with Sushant Singh Rajput getting big films like MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, and alleged that the actor had "secret meetings" with Aditya Thackeray and the Mumbai Police.

In his videos, Siddiqui had also linked Akshay with the late actor Sushant's girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, claiming that the actor helped her escape to Canada.

WHAT ARE THE OTHER CASES AGAINST THE YOUTUBER?

According to reports, the police have filed a case on charges of defamation, public mischief and intentional insult against Rashid Siddiqui. He was earlier arrested for spreading fake news and dragging the name of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son, Aditya Thackeray, in the case.

A senior IPS officer told Mid-Day that Sushant Singh Rajput's death was used by several people to make money. He said, "As many people were curious about the case, Sushant's death was misused by several to make money. Once the media started reporting different theories, YouTubers jumped on the opportunity and started posting fake content. By maligning the Mumbai Police's reputation they earned a lot of money."

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT CASE?

Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging in his Mumbai home on June 14. The Mumbai Police, who were initially investigating the case, declared it a case of suicide. However, Sushant's family filed a complaint at Patna's Rajiv Nagar Police Station against Rhea Chakraborty for abetment to suicide. In their complaint, they also alleged that Rhea and her family members siphoned off Rs 15 crore from Sushant's bank account.

As the case was immensely highlighted in the national media and social media, and owing to the Bihar government pressurising for a CBI investigation into the case, it was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. A team of senior officers of the CBI along with a team of forensic experts from Delhi's AIIMS reached Mumbai to probe the case.

The forensic team from AIIMS analysed the 34-year old actor's viscera sample to ascertain the cause of death and submitted a report stating that it was a case of suicide and there was no foul play. However, the CBI has not completed its investigation yet.

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