Bombay high court dismisses Kangana Ranaut's plea to quash Javed Akhtar's defamation case against her

The Bombay high court on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by actress Kangana Ranaut to quash lyricist Javed Akhtar's defamation suit against her.

The case of defamation has been under investigation on the order of a magistrate's court in Mumbai based on a complaint by the lyricist in 2020.

According to the legal website LiveLaw.in, justice Revati Mohite Dere refused any relief to the actress. Justice Dere felt that the metropolitan magistrate concerned had ''applied his mind' and "considered all aspects" before issuing summons to Ranaut.

The report quoted justice Dere observing, "The order issuing process reflects that the learned magistrate saw the video of the defamatory statement displayed on the national news channel, perused the complaint, statement on oath, supportive police report... and other material on record very minutely and carefully...."

The actress was issued summons under section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Code for the offence of defamation under sections 499 and 500 of the CrPC.

The judge rejected Ranaut's contention that the magistrate's order was ''bad in law'' since the magistrate had mentioned 'inquiry' in place of 'investigation' and had directed the police to conduct an inquiry without examining the complainant or the witnesses mentioned in his complaint or assigning any reasons.

Javed Akhtar had filed a case in 2020 accusing the actress of making unfounded allegations in a television interview linking him to the death by suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Ranaut appealed unsuccessfully to the sessions court to have the suit dismissed in April this year. Following that, a bailable warrant was issued in her name.

Meanwhile, Ranaut's Thalaivii (2021), based on the life of the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, was released yesterday.