Bombay High Court refuses intervention by Javed Akhtar alleging misleading statement in Kangana Ranaut passport renewal hearing

The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to hear the intervention application filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar alleging that Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut deliberately failed to disclose facts in order to obtain a favourable order for her passport renewal..Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Akhtar, submitted that the statement made by Ranaut that there were no criminal cases are pending against the petitioner in any Court arising out of two FIRs was false and misleading..Kangana Ranaut's passport renewal application will be considered expeditiously: Regional Passport Authority to Bombay High Court.A Bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar, however, refused to intervene stating that if courts allow one such intervention, then it will be flooded with similar such intervention applications. "We will not hear you. You have no right to address the Court. If we allow such interventions, then 100s of applications will be filed. The prosecutor will look into it," Justice Shinde remarked. .The Court suggested that Akhtar could approach the complainant in the case, or the public prosecutor's office to raise his grievances."If there are such applications, then there is an advocate for the informant, there is a prosecutor, (approach them). We cannot function like this.".Akhtar's intervention petition filed through Advocate Jay Bharadwaj, submitted that the query put forth by the Court essentially required Ranaut's lawyer, Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, to confirm that "no criminal cases were pending against Ranaut.".However, Akhtar claimed that the response made by Ranaut's lawyer was limited to criminal proceedings arising out of only two FIRs and did not mention another pending criminal defamation complaint which had been filed by Akhtar against Ranaut..Meanwhile, in the appeal filed by Ranaut challenging the criminal defamation proceedings initiated by the Metropolitan Magistrate at Andheri, Mumbai on the complaint filed by Akhtar, the Court directed Ranaut to approach the single bench for a hearing in the matter. .Ranaut has sought quashing of the entire proceedings initiated by the Magistrate arising from Akhtar's complaint which would include all the orders and summons, issued till date..Citing the Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Grover submitted that the appeal filed by Ranaut would lie before a single-judge bench and not before the division bench. .The Court, therefore, directed Ranaut to approach the appropriate bench.