Kangana Ranaut trying to delay defamation case proceedings: Javed Akhtar to Bombay High Court

Lyricist Javed Akhtar has responded to a petition by actor Kangana Ranaut before the Bombay High court to stay proceedings in a defamation case filed against her by Akhtar, by asserting the Ranaut only filed such a petition to delay proceedings in the defamation case. .Ranaut had recently approached the High Court through advocate Rizwan Siddiquee seeking a stay on the trial arising from Akhtar's complaint.According to her plea, both her complaint and Akhtar's complaint stem from the same incident and hence ought to be tried together to avoid conflicting judgments..Akhtar has now opposed this petition by filing an affidavit drafted by advocate Jay Bharadwaj. Akhtar has argued that there is no basis for Ranaut to invoke the writ jurisdiction of the High Court in this matter. He claimed that Ranaut's petition was filed to delay proceedings before the Andheri magistrate."Ranaut is not challenging any judicial order passed by a court but has based the entire writ petition on assumptions and presumptions coupled with an unwarranted optimism of the proceedings pending in courts below," the affidavit underscored. Akhtar further pointed out that the prayer in Ranaut's petition before the High Court was vague and untenable..When the matter was taken up by the High Court today, a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande directed the High Court registry to verify whether the matter should be heard by the single bench or a division bench..By way of background, Akhtar had filed a defamation complaint against Ranaut in 2020, taking exception to certain remarks made by her in an interview aired on Republic TV.The remarks made by Ranaut was in relation to a 2016 meeting between her and Akhtar.Meanwhile, Ranaut also filed a cross-complaint against Akhtar raising allegations of criminal conspiracy, extortion and outraging modesty by invading her privacy.On July 24, 2023, a magistrate court at Andheri dropped the charge of extortion against Akhtar but summoned him to appear before the court in connection with the offences under Sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insult to modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. Akhtar filed a revision plea challenging the summons order before the Sessions Court at Dindoshi.The sessions judge stayed the order and the criminal proceedings arising from Ranaut's complaint till the revision application filed by Akhtar is finally heard.Citing this development, Ranaut approached High Court seeking a stay on criminal proceedings arising from Akhtar's complaint as well.