Lyricist Javed Akhtar files Caveat in SC in Actor Kangana Ranaut's Transfer Plea

Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar who has accused actor Kangana Ranaut of criminal defamation, on Wednesday filed a Caveat in the Supreme Court in the actor, and her sister, Rangoli Chandel's transfer petition. The duo, facing prosecution in three criminal cases in Mumbai for their critical remarks on social media, moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of these cases to Himachal Pradesh, on Tuesday. Just a day before, a Metropolitan Magistrate in Andheri, Mumbai, issued a bailable warrant against Kangana for not honouring the summons issued to her on the lyricist's complaint. The Caveat was filed through advocates Jay K. Bhardwaj and Nitish Massey. Akhtar had filed a private complaint in November, last year, under sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code, alleging that she had made defamatory remarks against him in an interview with Republic TV, after actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. Akhtar accused Ranaut of damaging his "immaculate reputation by falsely attributing statements to him," in her interview with Arnab Goswami, on July 19. In an interview that lasted 57-minutes, Akhtar claims that Ranaut is seen giving her opinions on circumstances surrounding Rajput's death without any direct personal knowledge. "…needlessly dragging the complainant's name into an unconnected, sensitive matter is tantamount to extending veiled threats to the complainant, who is an extremely respectable member of the film fraternity," the plea said. Akhtar says he is a self-made man, who reached Mumbai on October 4, 1964, with Rs 27, two pairs of clothes and a few books. He was 19 then. After recording Akhtar's statement, the court directed the Juhu Police to conduct an enquiry u/s 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court subsequently issued process under section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Code, summoned the actor, and adjourned the case to March 1, 2021. During the Monday hearing, Advocate Vrinda Grover appearing on behalf of Akhtar, cited Kangana's response to a Live Law tweet, to show the actor was aware of the case, but still hasn't appeared. Neither has the actor filed an exemption application, she said. She then pressed for a non-bailable warrant to be issued against her. Ranaut's lawyer- Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee - opposed the plea and submitted that proper procedures were not followed before process was issued against his client and that she intended to challenge the order. The court then issued a bailable warrant against her returnable on March 26, 2021

Lyricist Javed Akhtar files Caveat in SC in Actor Kangana Ranaut's Transfer Plea

Sharmeen Hakim

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