Big Relief to Javed Akhtar, Court Drops Extortion Charges

Lyricist Javed Akhtar has been relieved of extortion charges by a magistrate court in Mumbai in a criminal complaint filed by actress Kangana Ranaut. However, the court has issued a summons against Akhtar for offences under Sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insulting modesty of woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and he has been asked to appear before the court on August 5.

Ranaut’s complaint against Akhtar stemmed from an incident in 2020 when she went to his place to resolve a dispute with actor Hrithik Roshan. During the meeting, Akhtar allegedly threatened and insulted her when she refused to apologize to Roshan, which she claimed amounted to extortion.

After recording Ranaut’s statement on July 6, the court took cognizance of the complaint on July 24. The magistrate, while considering the allegations of extortion, found no evidence to support the extortion charges. The court reasoned that asking a person to give a written apology does not fall under the definition of “valuable security” as it does not create any legal right.

On the other hand, Akhtar had filed a criminal defamation complaint against Ranaut, claiming that her statements aired on Republic TV constituted the offence of criminal defamation. In response, Ranaut’s complaint through her advocate sought action against Akhtar for extortion, criminal intimidation, and insulting her modesty by invading her privacy. However, the court only took cognizance of the complaint under Sections 506 and 509 of the IPC.

Akhtar’s lawyer, Advocate Jay K Bharadwaj, stated that he will be filing a revision application against the summoning order. This implies that he plans to challenge the court’s decision to summon Akhtar for the specific offences under Sections 506 and 509 of the IPC.