Kangana Ranaut moves Bombay High Court seeking stay on defamation case by Javed Akhtar

Actor Kangana Ranaut has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the trial arising from the complaint filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar alleging defamation against her. .A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande is likely to hear the petition on January 9..Akhtar had filed the complaint against Ranaut taking exception to certain remarks made by her in an interview aired on Republic TV.The remarks made by Ranaut was in relation to a 2016 meeting between her and Akhtar.Meanwhile, Ranaut had also filed a cross-complaint against Akhtar raising allegations of criminal conspiracy, extortion and outraging modesty by invading her privacy.On July 24, 2023, a magistrate court at Andheri dropped the charge of extortion against Akhtar but summoned him to appear before the court in connection with the offences under Sections 506 and 509 of the IPC. Akhtar filed a revision challenging the summons order before the Sessions Court at Dindoshi. The sessions judge stayed the order and the criminal proceedings arising from Ranaut's complaint till the revision application of Akhtar is finally heard..Ranaut has now approached the High Court seeking a stay on trial arising from Akhtar's complaint, filed through advocate Jay Bharadwaj.According to her plea, both her complaint and Akhtar's complaint stem from the same incident and hence ought to be tried together to avoid conflicting judgments.As per her petition, the proceedings arising from her complaint have been stayed while the proceedings arising from Akhtar's complaint are continuing and the same is unjust and against the established principles of natural justice. "It is Ranaut's case that shall bring out the truth of the dispute and not that of Akhtar. It would be in the interest of justice that till the time the revision application is decided, Akhtar's case is also stayed," the plea filed through Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee underscored.