Javed Akhtar defamation case: Kangana Ranaut says she has 'lost faith' in magistrate court

Mumbai Police personnel were seen outside Metropolitan Magistrate Court ahead of Kangana Ranaut`s hearing

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut appeared before a Mumbai court on Monday in connection with a criminal defamation complaint filed against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar.

She said she had "lost faith" in the magistrate''s court as it indirectly "threatened" her of issuing a warrant if she failed to appear before it in a bailable offence. The court had last week said it will issue a warrant against Ranaut if she fails to appear on the next date of hearing on September 20.

Ranaut also moved a counter complaint in the court against Akhtar for alleged "extortion and criminal intimidation", and her lawyer informed the court that they had filed an application before chief metropolitan magistrate, seeking transfer of hearing into the complaint to another court.

Ranaut appeared before the metropolitan magistrate's court on Monday for the first time since summons was issued to her in February this year.

Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court dismissed a plea filed by Ranaut seeking quashing of proceedings initiated against her by the local court on the criminal defamation complaint filed by Akhtar.

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Justice Revati Mohite-Dere had said in the order that there was no procedural illegality or irregularity in the metropolitan magistrate's order initiating the proceedings.

Akhtar (76) had filed the complaint in the court in November last year, claiming Ranaut had made defamatory statements against him in a television interview, which allegedly damaged his reputation.

In his complaint, Akhtar claimed that Ranaut dragged his name during an interview while referring to a ''coterie'' existing in Bollywood, following the alleged suicide committed by actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June last year.

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