Javed Akhtar; Kangana Ranaut
Kangana Ranaut is expected to appear for the hearing today in connection with a defamation case filed by Javed Akhtar against her. After the actress failed to appear in front of the Bombay High Court the previous time, the court extended the time till Monday, September 20. The actress’ lawyers had said she had symptoms of Covid and was tired because of travelling. The Court said that failing to appear this time, a warrant will be issued against the Bollywood actress.
The lawyer had submitted a medical certificate before the court and said the actor has been travelling for the promotion of her film and has “developed COVID-19 symptoms”. However, Akhtar’s lawyer said this is an orchestrated tactic to delay the case proceedings. The lyricist’s lawyer further said Ranaut has refused to appear before the court for one reason or the other since summons were issued to her in February this year.
Her request to cancel the defamation case was also rejected by the Bombay High Court.
Ranaut, through her counsel Rizwan Siddiquee, had challenged the defamation proceedings that were initiated by the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate’s court earlier this year, saying that the court had failed to apply its mind to the case.
Javed Akhtar’s counsel Jay Bharadwaj, however, told the High Court that the magistrate had directed for the police inquiry after going through the lyricist’s complaint and excerpts of Ranaut’s interview, in which she had made the alleged defamatory comments. Akhtar had filed the criminal complaint against Ranaut in November last year before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate for allegedly making defamatory and baseless comments against him in a television interview given to a senior journalist.
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