Javed Akhtar and Kangana Ranaut. (IANS Photo)
IANS
The Bombay High Court has reserved its verdict in a petition by Kangana Ranaut, who had challenged the criminal defamation proceedings initiated by a Magistrate Court earlier this year. The court was ruling on a complaint filed by renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar last year.
A single-judge bench of Revati Mohite-Dere was hearing Kangana’s plea on Wednesday. The actress has sought that the complaint filed by Javed Akhtar should be quashed. In his complaint filed in 2020, the lyricist has alleged that Kangana made defamatory statements on national and international television, that “appears to be a clear campaign to malign and tarnish (Akhtar) in the eyes of the general public”.
Ranaut's had stated in her plea that the lower court did not independently examine the complainant or witnesses rather relied upon the discretion of Juhu Police to initiate the case against her. Her counsel mentioned in the court that the inquiry into Akhtar's complaint was “one-sided” and added that their witnesses were never examined.
However Akhtar's counsel told the High Court that the police had summoned witnesses and concerned persons including Ranaut, to make the inquiry impartial, but the actor never responded to the summons.
Javed Akhtar had filed the criminal complaint against Kangana in November last year before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate for making defamatory comments against him in an interview. Thereafter, the court directed the Juhu police to conduct an inquiry into Akhtar's complaint in December 2020. The police subsequently confirmed the incident and that an offence of defamation was carried out, and said further inquiry into the same was required. The court then initiated criminal proceedings against the actress and issued summons to her in February this year.
While the Court concluded the hearing and reserved the appeal for order, it will likely be pronounced on September 9.
