Kangana's plea for stay on defamation proceedings delaying tactic: Javed Akhtar

Actor Kangana Ranauts petition for a stay on proceedings of a defamation complaint filed against her was only a delaying tactic lyricist and complainant Javed Akhtar submitted to the Bombay High Court on TuesdayAkhtar urged the high court to dismiss the petition filed by the Queen actorEarlier this month Ranaut approached the high court for a stay on Akhtars criminal defamation complaint filed against her in 2020 She urged the HC to hear the case along with a crosscomplaint filed by her against AkhtarThe defamation case against Ranaut is in the magistrates court in Andheri A sessions court had stayed Kanganas complaint against AkhtarIn her petition before the HC Ranaut stated that both cases should be tried together as they had genesis in a meeting between Ranaut and Akhtar in 2016Akhtar submitted an affidavit through his advocate Jay Bharadwaj stating Ranaut has not challenged any order passed by the magistrates court and without any basis has sought a stay on the proceedings of the defamation complaintThis was nothing but an attempt to delay the proceedings Akhtar statedRanaut is not challenging any judicial order passed by the lower court but has based the entire writ petition on assumptions and presumptions coupled with an unwarranted optimism of the proceedings pending in courts below the affidavit saidOn Tuesday when Ranauts plea came up for hearing before a division bench headed by Justice Revati Mohite Dere the HC said the assignment to hearing such petitions is with a single bench and not with a division benchAlso read Javed Akhtar expresses concerns over Ranbir Kapoors Animals successIt directed the high court registry to verify the same and place the petition before the appropriate bench for a hearingAkhtar had claimed that Ranaut defamed and damaged his immaculate reputation by dragging his name into actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death in her interview with a news channel in July 2020In 2021 Ranaut hit back by filing a countercomplaint against Akhtar before a magistrates court alleging criminal intimidation and insult to modestyShe had claimed that during her meeting with Akhtar at his residence in 2016 he criminally intimidated her demanding that she apologise to a costarThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever