Bombay High Court has dismissed Vidnyan Mane's defamation suit against Palash Muchhal.
Reports of their clash erupted earlier this year.
Mane had filed an FIR against Muchhal over casteist slurs.
Actor-producer Vidnyan Mane, a childhood friend of Indian women’s cricket captain Smriti Mandhana, alleged the Bombay High Court has quashed a defamation suit brought against him by music composer Palash Muchhal, Mandhana’s ex-fiancé. Mane added that he aims to launch criminal action against the composer. Muchhal’s legal representatives have yet to respond to requests for comment.
“This verdict conveys an important message: people should not file baseless and false cases in court merely to generate publicity." He added that he “now plans to initiate criminal proceedings against Muchhal.”
Mane claimed the case was dismissed because of procedural deficiencies.
Mane insisted, "I intend to bring before the public the various fabricated and imaginary stories that he has narrated so far, and expose how people are being misled. I also want the truth to become known to his family members, so that they too can understand the reality of his conduct and the alleged falsehoods, and see the truth behind his actions. Very soon, I will initiate the necessary and appropriate judicial as well as criminal proceedings in this matter, strictly through lawful channels."
The Vidnyan Mane-Palash Muchhal Clash
Mane stressed, “No one is above the law, and compliance with judicial procedures is mandatory for everyone."
The legal dispute surfaced in January following the high-profile cancellation of Muchhal and Mandhana’s December 2025 wedding. According to police filings, complainant Vidnyan Mane accused Muchhal of defrauding him of funds ranging between ₹25 lakh to ₹40 lakh, money allegedly transferred between late 2023 and early 2025 as an investment in Nazariya, an unreleased feature starring Shreyas Talpade. Mane claimed the project remained unfinished and his capital was never refunded.
The conflict escalated after a physical altercation on November 22, 2025, leading Mane to file an FIR against Muchhal under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for criminal intimidation and casteist abuse. Additionally, Mane leveled personal accusations, which Muchhal refuted before countering with a Rs 10 crore defamation suit. Muchhal’s legal troubles worsened in July 2026 when a Sangli Sessions court denied his application for anticipatory bail.
