Javed Akhtar Cleared of Extortion Charges by Mumbai Court in Kangana Ranaut Complaint; Summons Issued for Intimidation and Insulting Modesty
A magistrate court in Mumbai has dropped the extortion charges against renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar in response to a criminal complaint filed by actress Kangana Ranaut. However, Metropolitan Magistrate RM Shaikh at Andheri has issued a summon against Akhtar for offenses under Sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insulting modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He has been asked to appear before the court on August 5.
Ranaut's complaint alleged that in 2020, Akhtar invited her to his place with the intention of resolving a dispute she had with actor Hrithik Roshan. During the meeting, Ranaut claimed that Akhtar threatened and insulted her when she refused to apologize to Roshan, which she considered as an act of extortion.
In response to the complaint, the court recorded Ranaut's statement on July 6 and took cognizance of the matter on July 24. However, after examining the allegations, the magistrate concluded that no case of extortion could be established against Akhtar as asking for a written apology did not fall within the definition of valuable security under the law.
While Ranaut's complaint initially sought action against Akhtar for various offenses, including extortion, criminal intimidation, and insulting modesty, the court only accepted the summoning order under Sections 506 and 509 of the IPC.
In the ongoing legal battle between the two, Akhtar had previously filed a criminal defamation complaint against Ranaut, claiming that her statements aired on Republic TV amounted to the offense of criminal defamation. In response, Ranaut's complaint argued that Akhtar coerced an apology from her to damage her public image and sway public opinion in favor of Hrithik Roshan.
Akhtar's lawyer, Advocate Jay K Bharadwaj, has stated that he will be filing a revision application against the summoning order. The case continues to draw attention and is set to unfold on August 5, when Javed Akhtar is scheduled to appear before the court.
TAGS: Javed Akhtar extortion charges Kangana Ranaut criminal complaint Mumbai court Metropolitan Magistrate IPC Sections 506 509 criminal intimidation insulting modesty lyricist actress Hrithik Roshan written apology valuable security criminal defamation summoning order legal battle revision application public image Republic TV public opinion August 5.
