Actor Kangana Ranaut has filed a counter-complaint against lyricist Javed Akhtar during a Mumbai court, alleging “extortion and criminal intimidation”. She has accused Mr Akhtar of threatening her and also said she had “lost faith” within the Metropolitan Magistrate’s court in Andheri.
Ms Ranaut’s lawyer informed the court of letter of invitation to transfer the case.
Ms Ranaut’s counter-complaint is in response to a defamation suit by Mr Akhtar, who has alleged she dragged his name into a TV discussion last year on the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
The two came face-to-face within the courtroom, where Ms Ranaut arrived in the midst of her enhanced CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) security entourage.
During the filing of the counter-complaint, Ms Ranaut’s lawyer, Rizwan Siddique, accused Mr Akhtar of constructing threats, although, by his own admission, these alleged threats are an old matter
“Kangana and Rangoli were called to Javed Akhtar’s home… Javed Akhtar had no locus in their matter but he called then and threatened them… this can be not today but this has been reported for 3 or four years and Kangana said it repeatedly – that she was scared and her modesty was outraged,” he said
“Kangana failed to file a complaint thinking of his age… (but) because he’s now aggressively moving forward during this matter, Kangana got permission from her family to file her complaint,” the lawyer added.
“Now she has recorded this in her complaint… when Javed Akhtar says he had nothing to try to to with this matter (the subject of the alleged defamation), why did he call Kangana?” he asked in court.
Mr Siddique also said his client didn’t trust the judge – metropolitan magistrate RR Khan, who last week warned Ms Ranaut that failure to seem for today’s hearing could lead on to a warrant.
Ms Ranaut had been called last week but stayed away citing “COVID-19 symptoms”. Today was her entry, in step with PTI, since the February summons.
“Kangana’s health continues to be not completely fine… but still I told (her) that you simply come to the court in order that it doesn’t feel that we don’t seem to be coming. Why is that the judge repeatedly calling Kangana to the court? Threat to issue warrant was given twice…” Mr Siddique declared.
“When her lawyer (referring to himself) is present for each hearing… and Kangana also appeared before the court once before… what’s the requirement to still call her?” he added.
The actor wants the judge during this case to be changed, he declared.
At the previous hearing on September 14 – when Ms Ranaut had sought exemption – Mr Akhtar’s lawyer declared her request an “orchestrated tactic to delay the case proceedings”.
Rizwan Siddique argued the Metropolitan Magistrate had “mechanically ordered the enquiry” against his client “without assigning (any) reasons”.
Javed Akhtar’s lawyer, Jay Bharadwaj, sought dismissal of the plea, saying that “the magistrate had applied his mind to direct an inquiry after examining Mr Akhtar’s complaint”.
After hearing each side Justice Revati Mohite-Dere said she found no procedural illegalities or irregularities within the magistrate court’s order initiating the proceedings.
