Javed Akhtar’s plaint: Warrant if Kangana doesn’t appear on Sept 20, says court

Kangana’s counsel Rizwan Siddique said the actor was busy promoting her film for the past few days and was now showing Covid symptoms and therefore could not attend the court. The counsel also submitted a medical certificate indicating that the actor was unwell

A metropolitan magistrate court at Andheri on Tuesday adjourned hearing in the defamation case filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar against actor Kangana Ranaut as she failed to appear before the court. It also warned that it will issue an arrest warrant if Ranaut again failed to appear before it on the next date.

Javed Akhtar. (HT archive)

While Ranaut missed the hearing, Akhtar and his wife Shabana Azmi were present on Tuesday.

Kangana’s counsel Rizwan Siddique said the actor was busy promoting her film for the past few days and was now showing Covid symptoms and therefore could not attend the court. The counsel also submitted a medical certificate indicating that the actor was unwell.

However, Akhtar’s counsel, advocate Jai Bharadwaj submitted that the actor was trying to delay the proceedings. Pointing out that she had not appeared before the court despite several notices, Bharadwaj moved an application for issuing of non-bailable warrant for arresting the actress, if she failed to appear on the next date.

The court accordingly adjourned the matter to September 20, with the warning.

Metropolitan magistrate RR Khan had kept the matter on Tuesday for appearance of both the parties and to decide Ranaut’s application for permanent exemption from personal appearance.

Akhtar filed the defamation complaint against Ranaut in November 2020, alleging that the actor made some defamatory and baseless comments against him in a television interview to journalist Arnab Goswami.