A farmer from Pune district has filed a civil lawsuit against actor Sonali Bendre and her filmmaker husband Goldie Behl, accusing them of land encroachment and “mafia-style” intimidation. The actress, however, has denied the allegations, calling the case a false attempt to extort money.
Farmers allege illegal takeover and intimidation
According to PTI, the complainants, Chandrakant Balu Shinde (50) and his mother Kamalbai (75), have claimed that the celebrity couple used their social influence and allegedly sought help from local police to forcibly take possession of their 30 guntha (over 32,000 sq ft) land in Uksan village in Maval taluka.The suit was filed last month before a civil court in Vadgaon Maval through advocate Vanraj Shinde. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on April 24.
Claim of decades-old tenancy rights
According to the suit, the Shinde family has been cultivating the land as “protected tenants” since the 1940s. They have alleged that their names were removed from revenue records in the 1980s without any notice.The dispute, as per the complaint, began after the original landowners allegedly sold the property to a local individual in 2012. A portion of this land was later sold to Goldie Behl in March 2021.The mother-son duo has termed these transactions “illegal and void”, claiming that their tenancy rights were never legally terminated.
Allegations of threats and police bias
The plaintiffs have also alleged intimidation and misuse of authority. According to the suit, on December 14, 2025, Sonali Bendre and Goldie Behl allegedly arrived at the site with workers and heavy machinery to begin unauthorised construction.When Kamalbai attempted to intervene, she was allegedly threatened. The complaint further claims that police officials present at the site warned the family of being framed in false theft cases if they continued to “harass” the couple.
Sonali Bendre denies allegations
Reacting to the claims, Sonali Bendre maintained that her name does not appear on any of the land purchase documents related to the Maval property.Calling the case baseless, her lawyer Raju Shinde said, “This is a false case orchestrated solely to extort money.”The matter will now proceed in court as both sides prepare to present their arguments.
