Kangana Ranaut granted bail in Javed Akhtar defamation case
What's the story
On Thursday, a Mumbai court granted bail to actress Kangana Ranaut in the criminal defamation case filed by lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar. Earlier, a bailable warrant was issued against her when she defied summons. In her recent visit to court, she sought the cancellation of the warrant and also requested bail. The court ordered her to furnish a surety of Rs. 15,000 and a cash surety of Rs. 20,000.
Case
Akhtar had accused Ranaut of making derogatory statements against him
To recall, Ranaut's statements at a news show last year, had landed her in legal trouble. She had spoken about a meeting with Akhtar in 2016 while discussing the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Later, the veteran lyricist filed a complaint, alleging that derogatory statements were made against him. He said Ranaut dragged his name while talking about a Bollywood "coterie."
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Ranaut had approached SC seeking transfer of cases to HP
Earlier, Ranaut, along with her sister Rangoli Chandel, had approached the Supreme Court requesting that the cases filed against the duo should be transferred to their home state Himachal Pradesh. She cited the tension between her and the Maharashtra government, led by Shiv Sena, as a reason. In the plea, they claimed the state government was harassing them.
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Separately, an FIR filed against her was also quashed
Meanwhile, on Thursday, a single-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court ordered that the FIR filed against her over her tweet about people opposing the new farm laws must be quashed. She had equated those spreading "misinformation" about the reforms with terrorists. Her tweet dated September 2020 read, "You very well know what I said but simply like to spread misinformation."
Information
Though she got relief, Ranaut was reprimanded for her statements
While she was granted a reprieve, Justice HP Sandhesh commented that celebrities must be careful about what they speak. "Look at her own Twitter. She makes such statements...Anyone can be called a terrorist now...Celebrities while making statements must hold their tongue," the bench noted. The HC remanded the matter to the city magistrate court for fresh consideration.
Quote
'Who gave you the power to make such allegations?'
Justice Sandesh, addressing Ranaut's lawyer said that, "Who gave you the power to make such allegations? What would you have done if some one uttered same words against you?"