Mumbai court rejects Kangana Ranaut’s plea seeking transfer of defamation case filed by Javed Akhtar
India Today
A sessions court in Mumbai has rejected two applications filed by Kangana Ranaut seeking transfer of proceedings of the case registered against her by Javed Akhtar. In her plea, she claimed that the Andheri Magistrate grossly misused his power to intentionally cause her injury.
The Dindoshi Sessions Court in Mumbai has rejected two applications filed by actor Kangana Ranaut through which she is seeking transfer of proceedings filed against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar from the Andheri Magistrate to another Magistrate. The other petition is the one which was filed by her against Akhtar.
Additional Sessions Judge SM Bhosale pronounced the verdict on Wednesday (March 9) in the two applications filed by Ranaut.
Ranaut had earlier approached the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Esplanade seeking the transfer of both complaints from the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate RR Khan to any other Metropolitan Magistrate. The Esplanade Magistrate rejected both transfer applications.
It was after this that Ranaut moved the Sessions Court at Dindoshi where she claimed in her plea that the Andheri Magistrate grossly misused his power to intentionally cause her injury. Ranaut stated that the Andheri Magistrate harmed her image by callously announcing in an open court before media personnel that an arrest warrant would be issued against her if she isn’t present in court on the next date.
She stated that had the Magistrate been inclined to issue a warrant then he should have issued the warrant by passing a proper order recording his reasons for doing so.
Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee representing Ranaut had argued that such unwarranted loose remarks in an open court in a "bailable, non-cognizable, compoundable and summons triable matter" prima facie indicated the prejudice of the Magistrate and his visible bias. Siddiquee also pointed out that the Esplanade CMM ST Dande had called for remarks from the Andheri Magistrate on Ranaut's plea. However, the same was never placed on record on the grounds that it was confidential. He had submitted that such remarks do not come under the ambit of confidential information or privileged information, since the same not only affect the legitimate rights of Ranaut but also the manner of adjudication of the case.
