Kangana Ranaut has moved the Bombay high court, seeking quashing of proceedings initiated by the Andheri metropolitan magistrate in Bombay on a criminal defamation complaint filed against her by noted writer-lyricist-poet Javed Akhtar. In an appeal filed in the HC, Kangana claimed that the magistrate initiated proceedings against her by relying only on the police report and did not examine witnesses independently.
Javed had claimed in his complaint of November 2020 that his reputation was badly tarnished when in the aftermath of suicide by Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020, Kangana claimed on a TV news channel that Javed Akhtar had threatened her with dire consequences if she did not do as he desired. In December last year, the court directed the Juhu police in Bombay to conduct an inquiry into Akhtar’s complaint. Following the police report that an offence was made out, the court initiated criminal proceedings against the actress and also issued her summons in February this year after she failed to be present in the court.
Kangana’s appeal stated that the magistrate did not use his own powers for an inquiry but blatantly used the police machinery to collect the signed statements of the witnesses, which was unheard of. Her appeal added that it was likely that the witnesses were influenced by the police. She explained that the magistrate should have recorded evidence of the witnesses under oath to establish if an actual case was made out.
The HC will hear Kangana’s plea next week.