In a recent development, the Bombay High Court dismissed Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut’s plea seeking a stay on the proceedings of a defamation complaint filed against her by renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar. Justice P D Naik, presiding over the single bench, stated that the trial in the complaint filed by Akhtar had already commenced, making it unfeasible to grant the relief sought by Ranaut at this stage.
Last month, Kangana Ranaut had approached the high court, requesting a stay on Akhtar’s criminal defamation complaint filed in 2020. She also sought the case to be heard simultaneously with the cross-complaint she filed against the lyricist.
“The trial in the complaint by Akhtar has already commenced. The applicant (Ranaut) has preferred this application at a belated stage. Akhtar’s complaint is first in point of time and process (notice) has been issued. Considering the factual matrix, no relief can be granted,” declared the court.
While Akhtar’s defamation case against Ranaut is ongoing before the magistrate in Andheri, the sessions court has halted the actor’s complaint against the lyricist.
In her petition, Ranaut argued that both cases originated from a meeting with Akhtar in 2016 and should be tried together. However, the court rejected this contention, emphasizing that Akhtar’s complaint was the first in chronological order, and legal proceedings had already begun.
Javed Akhtar, through his advocate Jay Bharadwaj, opposed Ranaut’s petition, asserting that she had not challenged any order from the magistrate’s court. He argued that she had baselessly sought a stay on the proceedings, which, according to Akhtar, was an attempt to delay the proceedings on his defamation complaint.
Akhtar had accused Ranaut of defaming and damaging his “immaculate reputation” by involving his name in actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death during an interview with a news channel in July 2020. In response, Ranaut filed a counter-complaint in 2021, alleging criminal intimidation and insult to modesty against Akhtar. She claimed that during a meeting in 2016, Akhtar criminally intimidated her, demanding an apology to a co-star. The legal battle between the two continues, with the court’s recent ruling adding another chapter to their ongoing feud.
Sources By Agencies
