Mumbai Court Grants Javed Akhtar's Request & Moves Hearing To March 23, 2023

On Saturday, a metropolitan magistrate at Andheri, Mumbai granted lyricist Javed Akhtar's request for an expedited hearing of his defamation complaint against Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut. Magistrate RM Shaikh approved Akhtar's request and scheduled the hearing for March 23, advancing it from its previously scheduled date of April 19, 2023. Akhtar had filed the urgent listing plea after the last hearing of the complaint on November 23, 2022.

On Saturday, Advocate Jay Bharadwaj, representing Javed Akhtar, argued in court that due to Akhtar's advanced age, it would be in the interest of justice to expedite the hearing. However, Kangana Ranaut's lawyer, advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, opposed the request and cited Ranaut's own application requesting the court to record her sister's witness statement before the trial. Siddiquee argued that if the court allowed Ranaut's application, her sister's deposition could take place on the previously scheduled date of April 19, 2023. Despite Siddiquee's objections, the magistrate granted Akhtar's request and moved the hearing to March 23, 2023.

Javed Akhtar filed a complaint against Kangana Ranaut over certain comments made by her during an interview on Republic TV regarding a meeting between the two in 2016. Ranaut, in turn, filed a cross-complaint against Akhtar, accusing him of criminal conspiracy, extortion, and invading her privacy. The court has now listed Akhtar's complaint for hearing on March 23, 2023. The magistrate will also determine whether to record Rangoli Chandel's statement as a witness in Akhtar's complaint.