In his response the veteran lyricist noted that Kangana Ranaut was not present for 11 hearings, when it was listed in the court.
Bollywood poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar has replied to actress Kangana Ranaut's appeal to move the defamation case filed against Akhtar in november 2020. Akhtar in response has said that the actress was not present for 11 hearings and that Ranaut cannot claim that complying to criminal procedure is “threat” or “bias” of any kind. Ranaut had gone to the sessions court after her appeal had been denied by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court.
As reported by India Today, Akhtar pointed out that “apart from the dates when COVID protocols were in force which allowed Ranaut to remain absent, the Andheri Magistrate had allowed 6 exemption applications filed by her. In all she had not remained present at 11 hearings.”
Despite objections from Akhtar's counsel, the Andheri Magistrate had in reality accommodated Ranaut's requests, according to Akhtar's 118-page reply submitted through Advocate Jay K Bharadwaj. The Andheri Magistrate's method, on the other hand, was supported by the Sessions Court in April 2021 and the Bombay High Court in September 2021.
“Both the courts did not find any anomaly in the procedure adopted by the Magistrate court,” the reply underscored.
The reply further read that, "It is grossly incorrect to even state that the 10th Metropolitan Magistrate, Andheri has been directing Ranaut to remain present on each and every date of hearing. The delay tactics adopted by her on various dates, in spite of the fact that the summoning in the matter was done on February 1, 2021, the plea of Ranaut could not be recorded to date owing to the willful and deliberate absence of her. The compliance of mandatory provisions of CrPC cannot be construed as 'threats' or bias', as envisaged and conceived by Ranaut.”
Ranaut's advocate Rizwan Siddiquee presented his argument to the court on Tuesday, December 21, and Bharadwaj will present his case to the court on December 29.
In November of 2020, Akhtar filed a complaint in the Andheri court, alleging that Ranaut had made defamatory allegations about him in a television interview.