Actor-comedian Kapil Sharma on Wednesday sent a legal notice to SpotboyE and journalist Vickey Lalwani for "defamatory articles" and "character assassination".
According to reports, Kapil Sharma has demanded an unconditional public apology within seven days of receiving the notice.
He has urged the publication to "desist from publishing and airing defamatory, slanderous and libelous statements/news /interviews" against him", and has asked them to immediately withdraw the contents of all defamatory articles/publications on all forms of media.
Kapil Sharma's advocate Tanveer Nizam confirmed sending the legal notice, and told IANS: "In view of the articles by Vickey Lalwani on SpotboyE to wilfully defame my client, we have sent them a legal notice to publicly apologise within seven days, failing which we will institute civil and criminal proceedings against both."
The controversy happened last month when an audio call in which Kapil's heard hurling abuses at Lalwani, was made public. In the audio transcript of the phone conversation, Kapil Sharma could be heard abusing and threatening Vickey Lalwani. Later, Sharma's friend joins the conversation who also continues the rant against Lalwani.
Kapil Sharma was agonised by articles with "false and frivolous, defamatory personal information", which as the notice says, are "a product of collusion" between Lalwani and the comedian's earlier managers/associates Neeti and Preeti Simoes to "malign his image in the eyes of his fans, industry and public at large".
In April, Kapil Sharma had also filed a police complaint against his ex-managers Neeti, Preeti and journalist Vickey Lalwani for trying to extort Rs 25 lakhs from him. Responding to THE WEEK on the complaint filed by Kapil Sharma, Preeti had said: “I am hurt. The allegations that he has put on me are far too embarrassing and childish for me to even revert."
“Kapil is not normal right now; he is mentally completely unstable. Very sad that people who are talking on his behalf are guiding him in the wrong direction," she had said.
-with inputs from IANS