The Mumbai’s Andheri magistrate Court on Monday has ordered Actress Kangana Ranaut to respond to a petition for an early hearing of a defamation case filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar against her.
Akhtar filed the complaint against Ranaut, alleging that she defamed him on a television channel in 2020. Ranaut, on the other hand, stated that Akhtar had no business interfering with her relationship with actor Hrithik Roshan. She claimed that Akhtar had called a meeting in March 2016 where he tried to intimidate her. She, too, filed a complaint against Akhtar regarding the same meeting in 2016, alleging that Akhtar was attempting to extort an apology from her.
Akhtar’s advocate, Jay Bharadwaj, on Monday moved a petition before the court, claiming that his complaint against Ranaut has been “pending disposal” since 2020. The petition stated, “The complainant is a senior citizen, aged 78, and has been diligently pursuing the matter.”
Bharadwaj informed the court that the next date of hearing in the case is fixed for April 19, 2023, with the previous date of hearing was November 23, 2022.
“The complainant is a senior citizen, it would be in the interest of Justice that the date of the matter fixed on 19/04/2023 may kindly be preponed,” Akhtar’s plea said, referring to the nearly five-month adjournment granted in the case.
The court has already heard Akhtar and is required to summon witnesses under Section 311 of the CrPC. This section empowers courts to summon material witnesses or examine the person present.
Bharadwaj highlighted on Monday that the case has been pending for more than two years and that Akhtar is suffering and has suffered incalculable misery as a result of the accused’s imputations.
After hearing Bharadwaj briefly, the Metropolitan Magistrate ordered Ranaut to respond to Akhtar’s petition by February 20.
