Court on Kangana Ranaut’s complaint: ‘Sufficient grounds to proceed against Javed Akhtar’

A magistrate’s court in Mumbai has summoned the lyricist to appear before it on August 5

Javed Akhtar and Kangana Ranaut

Just recently it was reported that a magistrate court in Mumbai has summoned legendary lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar, following a complaint filed by National Award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut. In the order, Javed was asked to appear before the court on August 5. Now, the magistrate court has stated that there are “sufficient grounds to proceed against him” on charges that include “criminal intimidation”, but rules out a case on charges of extortion.

It all started when the lyricist approached the police to file a complaint against the actress for allegedly “defaming him in a 2020 television interview”. She is said to have dragged his name during the interview while referring to a “coterie in Bollywood”. This happened after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Later, Kangana filed a counter-complaint against Javed, claiming that he had “threatened and criminally intimidated” her, following a “personal dispute”. In 2021, the court had found sufficient evidence to proceed with the trial.

Also read: Court summons Javed Akhtar over Kangana Ranaut's 'criminal intimidation, insult' complaint

On July 24, the court issued summons to Javed to appear before it next month. In a detailed order, it’s stated that following verification of Javed’s complaint and Kangana’s sister Rangoli Chandel’s statement, the court has come to a conclusion that there are sufficient grounds to proceed against the lyricist for “offence under section 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code”.

“…the complainant (Ranaut) even though levelled charges for offences punishable under section 383, 384 and 387 of IPC for committing extortion and putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt in order to commit extortion, it appears that, no case is made out against the accused for the aforesaid offences…” the court said.

Also read: Does Kangana Ranaut no longer hope to be a part of Bollywood? Here’s what she said at Tiku Weds Sheru’s trailer launch

Referring to a personal dispute with a co-actor in 2016, Javed is said to have called Kangana and Rangoli to his house in Juhu and ‘criminally intimidated and threatened’ them to tender a written apology to the co-actor, even though Javed had nothing to do with the dispute between them. In the complaint filed via Rizwan Siddiqui, it is also stated that the lyricist allegedly “made unwarranted and uncalled for statements on her moral character and also alleged extortion charges”.

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