Javed Akhtar has opposed the “sixth attempt” by Kangana Ranaut to transfer the ongoing defamation case filed by the veteran lyricist against her from Andheri Magistrate RR Khan to another magistrate, Bar and Bench reported.
In the opposition plea, Akhtar stated that the actor had “unsuccessfully challenged the process followed by Magistrate Khan on five occasions and the present application was her sixth challenge.”
Earlier this week, Ranaut moved the Mumbai Sessions Court challenging the Magistrate’s dismissal of her plea seeking transfer of her extortion case against Akhtar, which was filed in response to his defamation case. That dismissal was the fifth unsuccessful challenge as listed by Akhtar in his recent response.
The defamation case dates back to November 2020, when Akhtar filed a complaint against Ranaut, alleging that she had made defamatory remarks about him during an interview with Republic TV, after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput by suicide. In the interview, which aired on July 19, 2020, Ranaut said that some of the senior members of the Hindi film industry, including Akhtar, were a part of a “gang” that was against “outsiders” in the industry.
The extortion case came up during a hearing in September 2021, when Ranaut had finally appeared in person before the court for the defamation case, after several warnings from the Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
Following the hearing, Ranaut filed a counter complaint alleging that during her public row with actor Hrithik Roshan in 2016, Akhtar had forced her to write an apology to Roshan. She also claimed that the lyricist had threatened her with dire consequences, if she refused to do so.
On December 18, 2021, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrates Court had dismissed the actor’s plea seeking transfer of this complaint on the grounds of alleged bias of the Andheri Magistrate hearing the defamation case. She had said that she did not wish to proceed with her extortion complaint before the same judge.
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When Ranaut challenged this dismissal, Akhtar had submitted a 118-page response in which he stated that contrary to her claims of bias, the Andheri Magistrate had in fact accommodated her requests despite these being vehemently opposed by Akhtar’s counsel. He also pointed out that the Magistrate did not take any coercive action even when the actor failed to appear after being issued notice.
In his latest reply, Akhtar stated that “apart from the dates when Covid protocols were in force which allowed the parties to not appear in person, there were seven exemption applications filed by Ranaut which had been allowed by Magistrate Khan.”
He also mentioned that Ranaut had failed to appear a total of 12 times when the matter was listed for hearing.
Akhtar once again accused Ranaut of delaying and derailing the proceedings with her “wilful and deliberate absence” and “delay tactics.”
The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for February 4.