Bombay High Court restrains Vidnyan Mane from defaming Palash Muchhal, says comments are ‘prima facie defamatory’ | Bollywood News
4 min readMumbaiFeb 14, 2026 01:49 PM IST
Palash Muchhal first attracted media attention following the cancellation of his wedding with Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana. This led to reports suggesting he had been allegedly unfaithful to Mandhana. Soon after, allegations emerged that Palash had cheated film producer Vidnyan Mane of over Rs 40 lakh, reportedly linked to an investment in an unreleased film.
The situation escalated when, days after filing a police complaint, Vidnyan spoke to the media, revealing details about Palash’s alleged infidelity towards Smriti. Now, as the matter concerning the financial dispute remains under judicial consideration, the Bombay High Court, according to news agency PTI, has restrained Vidnyan from making defamatory remarks against Palash. A bench led by Justice Milind Jadhav, on February 11, noted that Vidnyan’s comments were “prima facie insinuating and per se defamatory.”
“The defendant (Vidnyan Mane) is restrained from making any further references and insinuations of the kind and nature attacking the plaintiff (Palash Muchhal) and his mother, which are made in the said interviews, which are prima facie defamatory,” the court stated. Palash’s lawyers, Siddesh Bhole and Shreyansh Mitare, informed the court that there was a commercial dispute between the two. They added that Vidnyan’s comments referred to an incident allegedly occurring on November 23, 2025 (the day Palash and Smriti were to marry) and argued that such remarks had harmed not only Palash’s reputation but also that of his family members.
Justice Jadhav remarked that, prima facie, the incident before the wedding was irrelevant, especially considering the ongoing commercial dispute between Palash and Vidnyan. “There is direct insinuation of the family of the plaintiff (Palash),” he said.
What did Vidnyan Mane say about Palash Muchhal?
To those unaware, Vidnyan Mane, who claims to be a childhood friend of Mandhana, made explosive allegations regarding the events leading up to the wedding’s cancellation. He told Hindustan Times, “I was at the wedding celebrations (November 23, 2025) when he was caught red-handed with another woman in bed. Bhayanak scene tha (it was a shocking scene), he was beaten up by the Indian female cricketers. The entire family is chindi chor. I thought he’d get married and settle in Sangli, but it has completely backfired on me.”
When Vidnyan made these allegations, Palash’s advocate, Shreyansh Mitare, issued a strong rebuttal, questioning the credibility and timing of the claims. In a statement, he said, “Vidnyan claims he has paid us money, but there is no evidence of whether this payment was made via cheque or bank transfer. As for the allegations of Palash being caught with another woman, where is the evidence? We don’t even know this individual personally; we were introduced to him through Smriti’s father, Shrinivas. There has been no direct association with him. Why did he remain silent for so long? It is only after the wedding was called off that he has surfaced.”
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The financial dispute revolves around the film Nazariya, announced in December 2024. Vidnyan had shared multiple photographs from the film’s muhurat ceremony, marking his debut as a Bollywood producer. “Returning to my favourite passion, movies. This time, I’m stepping into Bollywood as a producer,” he had written at the time under the banner of Vidnyan Mane Studios.
However, Vidnyan later alleged that he had transferred a total of Rs 40 lakh to Palash by March 2025, but the project remained incomplete. When he sought a refund, he reportedly received no response, prompting him to approach the police.
