Kangana again moves plea seeking transfer of Javed Akhtar’s lawsuit against her
Actress Kangana Ranaut has again challenged the order of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court before.
The Mumbai city and civil court, Dindoshi, seeking to transfer all proceedings in a case filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar against her.
The Bollywood actress has said that though she brought the alleged bias of the magistrate to the knowledge of the CMM court, it rejected her petition.
Ranaut has moved the petition under section 408 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with ‘power of sessions judge to transfer cases and appeals’.
She has said in her petition filed through advocate Rizwan Siddiquee that being aggrieved by the orders of the Metropolitan Magistrate 10th Court, Andheri, which sufficiently proves.
The acts of biased and prejudiced mind on the part of the said magistrate the applicant filed a plea under section 410 of CrPC before the CMM court (withdrawal of cases by judicial magistrates).
Despite bringing to the knowledge the act of bias of the magistrate the court passed an order on 21st of October rejecting the actress’ application of transfer of the case filed by Akhtar, the plea added.
Thereafter, the sessions court also rejected her revision on technical grounds on December 31, 2021. So, she has filed the fresh petition under section 408 of CrPC praying transfer of the proceedings to any other court.
Additional session’s judge, Shridhar Bhosale will hear the plea on January 27. The judge has asked Akhtar who was represented by his counsel Jay Bharadwaj to file a reply by the next date to her petition.
The actress alleged in her transfer petition that the Andheri magistrate who is hearing Akhtar’s defamation complaint against her is prima facie biased against her, issuing a bailable Warrant.
In a summons triable case despite she been represented by her counsel, not hearing her plea for permanent exemption which is pending since long, coercing the applicant to file exemption application.
On every date and threatening to issue “arrest warrants” in a bailable and non-cognizable offence to secure presence. She also made a statement through her counsel, “I am making a categorical statement that I have no faith in this court,”
Akhtar filed a defamation complaint against Ranaut in November, 2020, for allegedly making defamatory and baseless comments against him in a television interview.
The actress filed a counter complaint against Akhtar alleging extortion and criminal intimidation. She alleged that during her dispute with her co-star Hrithik Roshan, Akhtar called her and further acting as a mediator threatened her thereby asking her to tender a written apology to her co-star.