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Synopsis

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the defamation case initiated against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Akhtar filed a defamation case against Ranaut following certain remarks she made about him during an interview with Republic TV.

Pertinently, Ranaut had also filed a cross-complaint against Akhtar, alleging criminal conspiracy, extortion, and invasion of privacy.

However, it was only in July 2023 that the magistrate court dropped extortion charges against Akhtar and summoned him for other charges.

Akhtar subsequently filed an application before the Sessions Court. The Sessions Court stayed criminal proceedings against Akhtar until his revision application before the court was heard.

Nonetheless, the defamation case filed by Akhtar against Ranaut continued, prompting her to approach the high court seeking a stay.

In her petition filed through Advocate Rizwan Siddique, Ranaut claimed that the cross-cases arose from the same incident that occurred in March 2016, and thus, they were clubbed together to be heard and tried simultaneously by the same magistrate.

However, the proceedings against Akhtar were later stayed by the Sessions Court, which, according to the plea, goes against the established principles of natural justice and fair trial.

The plea also emphasizes that if the case against Ranaut is not stayed along with the case against Akhtar until the final disposal and decision of the Sessions Court, then the very purpose of trying the cross-cases together would be defeated. This, it argues, would not only cause a miscarriage of justice but also undermine the fairness of the legal process.

Case title: Kangana Ranaut vs State of Maharashtra & Anr