Javed Akhtar defamation case: Kangana appears before Mumbai magistrate court, says she has lost faith in it

Mumbai

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut appeared before a Mumbaicourt on Monday in connection with a criminal defamation complaint filedagainst her by lyricist Javed Akhtar, and said she had "lost faith"in the magistrate's court as it indirectly "threatened" her ofissuing a warrant if she failed to appear before it in a bailable offence.

Ranaut also moved a counter complaint in the court against Akhtar for alleged"extortion and criminal intimidation", and her lawyer informed thecourt that they had filed an application before chief metropolitan magistrate,seeking transfer of hearing into the complaint to another court.

The court had last week said it will issue a warrant against Ranaut if shefails to appear on the next date of hearing on September 20. Ranaut appearedbefore Andheri metropolitan magistrate R R Khan on Monday for the first timesince summons was issued to her in February this year, and completed the bailformalities. As the matter came up for hearing, her lawyer Rizwan Siddique toldthat court that Ranaut does not want to proceed with this court (in connectionwith the complaint).

Siddique said they have "lost faith in the court as it seems to bebiased". The court has indirectly "threatened" her of issuing awarrant on two occasions in a non-cognisable, compoundable and bailableoffence, where as per law regular presence is not required, the lawyer claimed.

Ranaut has been called before the court without any cause or reason, he said. Hefurther submitted that till today, there is no order as to why she is requiredto be present regularly for the bailable, non-cognisable and compoundableoffence.

Akhtar's lawyer Jay Bharadwaj termed Ranaut's plea for transfer of complaint toanother court as "extremely bizzare". "They have neither givenany notice nor a copy of the (transfer) application to us," he said.

The court will hear the matter next on November 15. Earlier this month, theBombay High Court dismissed a plea filed by Ranaut seeking quashing ofproceedings initiated against her by the local court on the criminal defamationcomplaint filed by Akhtar.

Justice Revati Mohite-Dere had said in the order that there was no proceduralillegality or irregularity in the metropolitan magistrate's order initiatingthe proceedings. Akhtar (76) had filed the complaint in the court in Novemberlast year, claiming Ranaut had made defamatory statements against him in atelevision interview, which allegedly damaged his reputation.

In his complaint, Akhtar claimed that Ranaut dragged his name during an interviewwhile referring to a 'coterie' existing in Bollywood, following the allegedsuicide committed by actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June last year.