Sufficient Grounds To Proceed Against The Accused: Court On Kangana Ranaut’s Complaint Against Javed Akhtar

Kangana Ranaut's allegation came after Akhtar accused her of defaming him in a televised interview in 2020 and filed a case against her in 2021.

Kangana claimed in an interview that Javed Akhtar threatened her after inviting her to his house.

Source : Instagram (Azmishabana18/kanganaranaut)

New Delhi: A Mumbai court has summoned Javed Akhtar to appear in response to Kangana Ranaut's counter-complaint. The acclaimed songwriter was accused of "extortion and criminal intimidation" by the actor. According to a PTI report, a magistrate court ruled that there were sufficient grounds to move through with allegations against him, including criminal intimidation. 

On July 24, Metropolitan Magistrate (Andheri court) R M Shaikh issued Javed Akhtar a summons, asking him to appear in court on August 5. The court stated that there was no evidence of extortion against the songwriter when it issued the summons. In a detailed order released on Wednesday, the court stated that it found that Akhtar had committed offences under sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. 

"As far as other offences levelled against the accused are concerned, on the basis of averments in the complaint, verification of the complainant and statement of her (Kangana's) sister Rangoli Chandel," the court said. "I have come to the conclusion that there are sufficient grounds to proceed against the accused for offence under IPC section 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman)," the court said.

Ranaut's allegation came after Akhtar accused her of defaming him in a televised interview in 2020 and filed a case against her in 2021. Kangana claimed in an interview that Javed Akhtar threatened her after inviting her to his house after her nasty fight with Hrithik Roshan over their supposed affair. After that Kangana filed a counter-complaint against Javed Akhtar.

Ranaut said in her lawsuit, submitted through her attorney Rizwan Siddiqui, that Akhtar invited her and her sister to his Juhu home in March of 2016 after she embroiled in a personal conflict involving a fellow actor. Although Akhtar was not involved in the dispute, the complaint alleged that he called them and "criminally intimidated and threatened" them into giving the co-actor a written apology.