Updated: December 19, 2020 4:28:25 pm
Javed Akhtar and Kangana Ranaut.
A Mumbai court on Saturday ordered police to investigate a criminal complaint filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar against actor Kangana Ranaut for allegedly defaming him in a television interview.
The complaint, filed last month with the Metropolitan Magistrate in Andheri, Mumbai, claims that Ranaut unnecessarily dragged Akhtar’s name in connection with the death case of Sushant Singh Rajput.
On Saturday, lawyer Niranjan Mundargi, who appears on behalf of Akhtar, claimed that in the interview Ranaut allegedly commented that Akhtar was part of an alleged “Bollywood suicide gang” that could “get away with it.”
He said that due to such comments, the veteran lyricist was receiving hate messages and the messages would damage his reputation and therefore action would be taken according to Section 500 (Punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) .
Mundargi asked the court to invoke article 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to summon the witness to the conversation on the channel for his statement or to order the police to investigate the complaint.
Article 202 of the CrPC empowers the magistrate to carry out an investigation, either himself or directing any authority, including the police, to investigate any complaint that is presented to him.
After hearing the submissions, the trial court ordered the Juhu police station to conduct an investigation into the complaint and submit its report by January 16.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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