Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (MS)

Mumbai, Oct 23: Kangana Ranaut had a setback in the defamation case filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar against her as the additional chief metropolitan magistrate court of the city pronounced that no bias is shown against Ranaut by Andheri metropolitan magistrate.

Rejecting the plea of Ranaut for transferring the case to some other court, magistrate Dhande said that just because the court proceeds according to the law procedure it cannot be called as biased against the applicant.

Though the magistrate had rejected the petition filed by Ranaut on October 21, the detailed order was available only on October 23.

In her plea for transferring the case to some other court, Ranaut had cited that she had lost faith in the Andheri metropolitan magistrate’s court as it indirectly threatened her of issuing a warrant if she does not appear before the court for a bailable offence.

The orders passed by the Andheri court were earlier confirmed by the sessions court. The high court had also quashed Ranaut’s plea for quashing the defamation suit filed against her by Javed Akhtar.

The court also said that unless and until there is some reasonable apprehension of not getting fair trial or justice there one cannot seek transfer of case from one court to another.

If the case is transferred on the accusation of false allegation the morale of the presiding officer in the said case will be affected badly.

A defamation suit was filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar in November 2020, in which he alleged that Ranaut had given statements in an TV interview, which damaged his reputation.

Akhtar claimed that while referring to a coterie existing in Bollywood Ranaut had added his name also. The interview was about the alleged suicide by actor Sushant Singh Rajput which occurred in June 2020.

A counter complaint was filed against Javed by Ranaut in the Andheri court for alleged extortion and criminal intimidation.