'Kangana Ranaut’s Plea For Defamation Case Transfer Devoid Of Merit', Javed Akhtar Tells Court

Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar submitted in a court in Mumbai today that actor Kangana Ranaut's petition seeking transfer of the criminal defamation case filed by him against her was "devoid of any merits" and aimed at delaying proceedings.

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?Ranaut had last month filed thepetition before the chief metropolitan magistrate seeking transfer of hearinginto the complaint to another court and said she had lost faith in magistrate’scourt as it indirectly threatened her of issuing a warrant of she failed toappear before it in a bailable offence.

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Javed Akhtar who has filed defamation case on her had sent a written reply filed through his lawyer Jay Bharadwaj. He said, “The present transfer petition is devoid of all merits and is liable to be dismissed at the very threshold”.

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The same is only filed to delay the proceedingsbefore the Andheri metropolitan magistrate’s court (which is currentlypresiding over the case), he added.?Further he said, “The grounds mentioned in thepresent application were raised for the first time after more than seven monthsof summoning of the applicant (Ranaut) with the sole intent to delay thematter”.

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Javed Akhtar had filed his complaint in the court inNovember last year claiming that Kangana had made defamatory statements againsthim in a television interview which allegedly damaged his reputation.

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(With Inputs from PTI)