Mumbai: A Sessions court here Monday dismissed an application filed by actor Kangana Ranaut. The actor had challenged the proceedings initiated against her by a magistrate’s court in connection with a defamation complaint lodged by veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar. Additional Sessions Judge SU Baghele said the plea filed by the applicant (Kangana Ranaut) is dismissed.
Akhtar (76) had filed the complaint in the magistrate’s court last November. He claimed Kangana had made defamatory statements against him in a television interview. The lyricist said it allegedly damaged his reputation.
The Sessions court in Dindoshi here had April 3 reserved its order on the application filed by Kangana.
In her application, Kangana had challenged the issuance of the process and the legality and validity of the February 1, 2021 order passed by the magistrate. She had also challenged the subsequent action of issuing a bailable warrant against her for failing to appear before the court.
Kangana’s advocate Rizwan Siddiquee had argued in the sessions court that as per provisions of section 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a magistrate has to first examine and record the statements of the complainant and the witnesses before issuance of notice or proceedings in criminal complaints.
Also read: Kangana vs Javed Akhtar: Actress issued bailable warrant
Siddiquee claimed that since the magistrate’s court had not recorded the statements of the witnesses, it had vitiated the procedure.
Advocate Jay Bharadwaj, appearing for Akhtar, had opposed the application. He submitted that the order passed by the magistrate did not warrant interference.
Magistrate RR Khan had March 1 issued a bailable warrant against Kangana after she failed to appear before the court as per earlier directions.
In his complaint, Akhtar claimed that Kangana had made defamatory comments against him in an interview by dragging his name while referring to a ‘coterie’ existing in Bollywood, following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June last year.
The magistrate had directed the Mumbai police to carry out a preliminary probe into the complaint. In February, the police submitted a report to the court saying an offence of defamation was made out against Kangana.