Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut was issued a bailable warrant by a court in Mumbai on March 1 in connection with a defamation case filed against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar.
According to a report in ANI, the ‘Queen’ star failed to appear before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate despite being summoned. Her lawyer intends to challenge the summons in a higher court and the next hearing will take place on March 26.
Akhtar had filed a criminal defamation complaint on November 3 last year against Ranaut when she dragged in his name while discussing Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. She also brought his name up when discussing her battle with Hrithik Roshan, whom she labelled as a ‘silly ex’.
In a complaint filed by Akhtar, he objected to certain remarks made by the actor during an interview on a TV news channel. While speaking to Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, Ranaut claimed Akhtar was a part of a ‘suicide gang’ in Bollywood and that ‘he can get away with pretty much anything in Mumbai’.
In his complaint, he also said that her comments had caused ‘irreparable damage’.
“Each and every allegation made in the said interview against the complainant is false, defamatory, malicious, and has been made with reckless disregard to the truth,” he added in the complaint.
Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14 and Ranaut was at the forefront championing for justice for the actor, claiming he was pushed to commit suicide by industry insiders.
