A Mumbai session court has issued an order to halt the ongoing proceedings in a magistrate's court concerning a complaint filed by Kangana Ranaut against lyricist Javed Akhtar on charges of criminal intimidation. In response to Javed Akhtar's revision plea before the sessions court, the actress alleged that he was gripped by a sense of panic, fearing potential legal action. The stay on the proceedings against Akhtar was confirmed by his legal representative, Jay Bharadwaj.
The dispute between the two figures stems from a complaint lodged by the Tejas actress, accusing Javed Akhtar of extortion, criminal intimidation, and outraging the modesty of a woman. Although the Andheri metropolitan magistrate issued a summons to the lyricist on July 24, the charge of extortion was subsequently dropped. The magistrate noted that there were valid grounds within the complaint to proceed against Akhtar.
In response to the magistrate's decision, Javed Akhtar filed a revision petition before the sessions court, contending that the summons had been issued hastily and without due consideration. The plea, presented by advocate Bharadwaj, argued that no substantial evidence existed to support the magistrate's ruling.
Kangana Ranaut's counterargument conveyed through advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, maintained that Javed Akhtar's present demeanor was driven by unease. She pointed to an unfavorable ruling from the magistrate's court and the testimony of a key witness as factors contributing to Akhtar's apprehension. Ranaut's response outlined that the defamation case he had filed against her seemed to lack merit, and his fears of potential prosecution for serious criminal offenses like criminal intimidation and outraging modesty of a woman had led to his present state of panic.
Observing the initial pages of the petition, Ranaut noted Akhtar's inclination to highlight his achievements and accolades, a trait she found conspicuous. Ranaut's reply characterized Akhtar's move to halt the proceedings as an attempt to salvage his reputation, attributing his actions to desperation rather than valid legal grounds.
The legal saga originated in 2020 when the 76-year-old Akhtar lodged a complaint against Ranaut for making defamatory statements about him during a television interview following actor Sushant Singh Rajput's demise. The actress's reference to Akhtar in the context of a "coterie" within Bollywood prompted his initial complaint. Ranaut responded with a counter-complaint against Javed Akhtar in the same magistrate's court. According to her claim, after a public dispute with a co-star, Akhtar invited her and her sister Rangoli Chandel to his residence with ulterior motives and proceeded to criminally intimidate and threaten her.
