Javed Akhtar demands non-bailable warrant against Kangana in defamation case
Javed Akhtar has filed an application requesting the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against actor-MP Kangana Ranaut, due to her repeated failure to appear in court regarding their ongoing defamation case. Ranaut was scheduled to attend a court session on Saturday but didn't show up. In response, Akhtar's lawyer, Jay Bharadwaj, submitted a plea highlighting that Ranaut had previously sought permanent exemption from court appearances—a request that had been denied and upheld by Sessions Court and the Bombay High Court.
'She has on various dates not appeared before this court...'
Per India Today, Bharadwaj stated, "Despite the application of the accused (Ranaut) being rejected, she has on various dates not appeared before this court and filed exemptions." Previously, when a bailable warrant was issued against Ranaut, she appeared in court and successfully had the warrant canceled. The current defamation case pertains to statements made by Ranaut during a televised interview following actor Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged suicide in 2020.
Akhtar's lawyer accused Ranaut of delaying court proceedings
During Saturday's hearing, Bharadwaj argued that Ranaut has repeatedly tried to delay the court proceedings inadvertently. He stated, "There was no other way except issuing an NBW to secure the presence of the accused (Ranaut)." However, the court did not immediately act on this application but instead directed the Manikarnika actor to appear at the next hearing which is scheduled for September 9.
Origin of the defamation case traces back to 2016
The defamation case stems from a meeting held at Akhtar's Mumbai residence in March 2016. At that time, Ranaut and actor Hrithik Roshan were involved in a public dispute over some exchanged emails. Akhtar, known to be close to Roshan, reportedly asked Ranaut to apologize to Roshan during this meeting. Akhtar has since denied this claim. Meanwhile, Ranaut expressed that she felt threatened by the poet and described feeling very depressed at that time.
Akhtar filed a defamation complaint following Ranaut's 2021 interview
In 2021, Akhtar alleged that Ranaut tarnished his "immaculate reputation" by involving him in late actor Rajput's death during an interview with a news channel in July 2020. In the interview, she mentioned that Akhtar found the 2016 meeting defamatory and subsequently filed a defamation complaint against her. Ranaut also lodged a complaint against Akhtar with the same court. However, the proceedings against Akhtar were stayed by the Dindoshi Sessions court.
