Defamation case: Orders reserved on Kangana’s challenge plea

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a plea filed by actor Kangana Ranaut seeking quashing of criminal defamation proceedings initiated against her by a metropolitan magistrate’s court in the city on a complaint filed by Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Ranaut, through her counsel Rizwan Siddiquee, had challenged the defamation proceedings initiated earlier this year, saying the magistrate’s court in suburban Andheri had failed to apply its mind to the case.

Ranaut said in her plea the lower court did not independently examine the complainant or witnesses named in the complaint against her, but it instead relied merely upon the discretion of Juhu police and the initiated a case against her.