Mumbai: On Thursday, the Bombay High Court dismissed the plea filed by actor Kangana Ranaut praying for quashing the criminal defamation proceedings taken up against her based on lyricist Javed Akhtar’s complaint.
The High court judge reserved orders on Ranaut’s plea on September 1, saying the applicant’s (Ranaut’s) petition “stands dismissed”. Akhtar has accused Ranaut of damaging his reputation by dragging his name in actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death in her interview with Republic TV Anchor Arnab Goswami, on July 19, 2020.
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. 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 filed a complaint about offences punishable under Sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code in the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Andheri, in November 2020. The court directed the Juhu police to conduct an inquiry into Akhtar’s complaint against Ranaut and then initiated criminal proceedings against her and issued summons to her in February this year in December 2020.
