On Friday, the Bombay High Court (HC) rejected the plea filed by actress Kangana Ranaut seeking a stay on the trial initiated from the defamation case filed by lyrist Javed Akhtar. However, the HC dismissed the writ plea filed by Kangana in the defamation filed by Javed in 2020.
About the case
Javed Akhtar filed a defamation case against Kangana Ranaut in 2020, when Ranaut mentioned a 2016 meeting with Akhtar, and made certain remarks about him in an interview aired on Republic TV, claiming that her comments damaged his reputation and personal standing.
Meanwhile, Ranaut also counter-sued Akhtar by filing a writ petition alleging criminal conspiracy, extortion and outraging her modesty. She accused Akhtar of threatening and humiliating her during the meeting. Later, Ranaut approached to HC through advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, claiming that her complaint stemmed, and urged the court to stay the defamation proceedings. However, the court denied her plea.
Why did HC reject the plea?
The court considered Kangana’s plea to be ‘belated’ as she waited too long to file it. Javed Akhtar’s complaint was filed first, and legal proceedings had already begun before Ranaut sought a stay, pronounced by Justice PD Naik.
Moreover, the court earlier stayed the order, but the legal process had already been initiated in Akhtar’s case. Granting a stay would disrupt the established procedures and cause unnecessary delays. However, both sides argued their stand on the case.
Arguments on the case
As the case between Kangana Ranaut and Javed Akhtar is ongoing, lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee argued that her statement falls under freedom of expression protected by the constitution. Kangana’s counsel also argued that this was unjust and against the established principles.
Furthermore, advocate Jay Bharadwaj representing Akhtar, argued that Ranaut’s statements were made with malicious intent to cause harm to his reputation. Akhtar’s counsel argued that the petition was filed only to delay the legal process in the defamation case, claiming there was no basis for a writ plea in this matter.
Current status
As Kangana Ranaut’s recent plea was rejected by the High Court, the defamation trial against her by Javed Akhtar will continue in the Andheri Magistrate’s court, as both the cases are sub judice, which means no final verdict has been reached.
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