A metropolitan magistrate in Andheri, Mumbai recently granted a plea filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar seeking an early hearing on his defamation complaint against Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut.
Magistrate RM Shaikh granted Akhtar’s plea and scheduled a matter for further hearing on March 23, 2023.
Akhtar filed the complaint against Ranaut after taking issue with some of her comments in an interview that aired on an English news channel. Ranaut’s comments were in reference to a meeting she and Akhtar had in 2016. Meanwhile, Ranaut filed a cross-complaint against Akhtar, accusing him of criminal conspiracy, extortion, and violating her privacy.
Judge Shaikh had last heard the complaint on November 23, 2022, and scheduled a hearing for April 19, 2023. Akhar then moved the plea for an urgent listing.
On Saturday, Akhtar’s advocate, Jay Bharadwaj, told the Court that given Akhtar’s advanced age, it would be in the best interests of justice to set the hearing date as soon as possible.
The application was opposed by Ranaut’s advocate Rizwan Siddiquee. He referred to Ranaut’s application, in which she asked the court to record the witness statement of her sister, Rangoli Chandel, before the trial began. He argued that if Ranaut’s application is granted and Chandel is allowed to depose, the hearing can take place on April 19, 2023, as previously scheduled. The magistrate, however, granted Akhtar’s request and scheduled the complaint for hearing on March 23, 2023.
