Javed Akhtar defamation complaint: Mumbai Court dismisses plea by Kangana Ranaut seeking pre-trial recording of her sister’s statement

A Mumbai court on Friday dismissed an application filed by actress Kangana Ranaut requesting the Court to record the witness statement of her sister Rangoli Chandel before the trial begins in the defamation complaint filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar..Metropolitan Magistrate RM Shaikh at Andheri Mumbai passed the verdict today.With disposal of this application, the trial in the complaint filed by Akhtar will commence from April 19, 2023 before the Magistrate..In the application filed under Section 311 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Ranaut claimed that her sister is a material witness as she was present with Ranaut during the 2016 meeting which formed the basis of remarks made by her in an interview aired on Republic TV channel.Akhtar filed the criminal defamation complaint against Ranaut in 2020 objecting to the remarks made by Ranaut on Republic TV..Ranaut submitted that the erstwhile Metropolitan Magistrate RR Khan, who is now transferred, had not recorded her sister’s statement.To bring the correct facts on record, the Court ought to examine and record Chandel’s statement, Ranaut said in the application filed through advocate Rizwan Siddiquee..Akhtar opposed the plea arguing that the same was not maintainable.In a reply filed through Advocate Jay K Bharadwaj seeking dismissal of the application, Akhtar pointed out two factual aspects:that Chandel had not been cited as a witness in the complaint filed by him; andthe manner in which the prosecution witnesses were examined, had been upheld by the Bombay High Courtin its order dismissing Ranaut’s revision plea.The reply also relied upon judgments to show that the accused had no role to play at a pre-cognizance stage in the prosecution witness list..Since Akhtar filed the criminal defamation suit, there have been revision petitions, applications and a cross complaint filed by Ranaut in many criminal courts across Mumbai.The trial in the case will commence after 28 months of the institution of the suit..Javed Akhtar v. Kangana Ranaut: How the court battle has progressed