Javed Akhtar moves court over summons in Kangana Ranaut’s Complaint

Lyricist Javed Akhtar has approached a Mumbai sessions court to challenge a Magistrate court order summoning him regarding a complaint filed by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut. Ranaut accused Akhtar of criminal intimidation and insulting her modesty.

Akhtar’s plea, filed through advocate Jay Bharadwaj, states that the Magistrate jumped to conclusions hastily, leading to a miscarriage of justice.

According to Ranaut’s complaint, Akhtar invited her to his place in 2020 to resolve a dispute with actor Hrithik Roshan. During the meeting, she alleges that Akhtar threatened and insulted her when she refused to apologize to Roshan, thereby committing the offense of extortion.

The court took cognizance of the complaint on July 24 after recording Ranaut’s statement on July 6. The Magistrate issued process against Akhtar for offenses under Sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insulting modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), summoning him to appear on August 5.

Akhtar challenges the order, arguing that there is no evidence in the judicial records to justify the summons. He also points out that Ranaut’s complaint is time-barred, as the maximum time for filing such complaints is three years from the date of the alleged incident, and Ranaut filed it after five years.

The Sessions judge in Dindoshi, Mumbai, will hear the plea on August 8.