The court will next hear the matter on November 15.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut appeared in a Mumbai court on Monday in connection with a criminal defamation complaint filed against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar and said she “lost faith” in the magistrate’s court as it “indirectly sought” to issue a warrant to her. threatened”. She failed to appear before him in the bailable offence.
Ranaut also filed a counter complaint in the court against Mr Akhtar for allegedly “extortion and criminal intimidation”, and his lawyer informed the court that he had filed an application before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, in which the complaint The hearing was sought to be transferred to another court.
The court had last week said it would issue a warrant against Ranaut if she fails to appear on the next date of hearing on September 20.
For the first time since the summons was issued to him in February this year, Ranaut appeared before Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate RR Khan and completed the bail formalities.
As soon as the matter came up for hearing, his lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui told that court that Ranaut does not want to proceed with this court (regarding the complaint).
Mr Siddiqui said he has “lost faith in the court as it seems biased”.
The lawyer claimed that the court has indirectly “threatened” him to issue warrants on two occasions in non-cognizable, compoundable and bailable offences, where regular attendance is not required as per law.
He said that Ranaut has been called to the court without any reason or cause.
He further said that till date, there is no order on why he is required to appear regularly for bailable, non-cognizable and compoundable offences.
Mr Akhtar’s lawyer Jay Bhardwaj termed Ranaut’s plea to transfer the complaint to another court as “extremely bizarre”.
“They have neither given us any notice nor given a copy of the (transfer) application,” he said. The court will next hear the matter on November 15.
Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court dismissed a petition filed by Ranawat, seeking quashing of proceedings initiated against him by a local court on a criminal defamation complaint filed by Mr Akhtar.
Justice Revati Mohite-Dere in the order held that there was no procedural illegality or irregularity in the order of the Metropolitan Magistrate to initiate proceedings.
Mr Akhtar (76) had filed a complaint in the court in November last year, claiming that Ranaut had made derogatory statements against him in a television interview, which had allegedly damaged his reputation.
In his complaint, Mr Akhtar claimed that after the alleged suicide by actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June last year, Ranaut dragged his name during an interview while referring to a ‘kotri’ present in Bollywood.
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