A Mumbai court on Tuesday granted actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut ‘one last chance’ before issuing a non-bailable warrant against her in a long-standing defamation case filed by Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar.
According to reports, Ranaut was absent from the scheduled session meant to resolve the dispute. Her advocate, Rizwan Siddiquee, informed the Bandra court that she was unable to attend due to her ‘parliamentary commitments’. However, advocate Jay K Bhardwaj, representing Akhtar, filed an application requesting a non-bailable warrant against the actor, citing her ‘repeated absences from nearly 40 key court dates’.
The court directed Ranaut’s counsel to submit a response to the application. Ultimately, the Magistrate decided to grant Ranaut one “last chance” before taking further action.
The legal dispute between Ranaut and Akhtar was sparked off in 2020 after the actress discussed an alleged 2016 meeting with the Bollywood veteran in a televised interview. The claims made by the actress were later denied by Akhtar, who subsequently filed a defamation case against her, claiming that her statements were damaging to his reputation.
Ranaut later filed a counter-complaint against Akhtar, alleging that he had pressured her into apologising under undue influence.
In December 2024, both parties had agreed to mediation, but the process has yet to take place. The session was scheduled for Tuesday, with Akhtar present before the Magistrate’s court. However, Ranaut’s absence further delayed the case.
