A metropolitan magistrate’s court rejected the application filed by Kangana Ranaut, on Thursday, seeking a transfer of the proceedings of the defamation case filed against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar.
Kangana Ranaut, through lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui, had filed a transfer plea alleging that the trial judge RR Khan was biased. She’d stated that she had “lost faith” in the court.
Siddiqui had enquired why the judge asked Kangana to be present in court when the case is ‘non-cognizable, bailable, and compoundable’. Siddiqui argued that, for that reason, her plea regarding the allegations could be recorded in her absence.
Javed Akhtar’s lawyer Jay Bharadwaj had opposed the transfer plea stating that her “willful absence” during the proceedings is a ‘delay tactic’ and it has caused “further harassment” to his client.
The Court had issued a warning of an arrest warrant against Kangana Ranaut if she didn’t appear in the hearing held on 20 September. Siddiqui had sought an exemption from appearance for Kangana citing health concerns. Kangana Ranaut appeared in court on 20 September and the matter was adjourned to 15 November.
Javed Akhtar had filed a complaint against Kangana Ranaut in 2020 alleging that the latter had made defamatory statements “to malign and tarnish him,” referring to Ranaut’s interview on Republic TV after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. In July, Kangana Ranaut challenged the criminal proceedings against her.
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