Kangana Ranaut to appear before Mumbai court on 4 July in defamation case filed by Javed Akhtar

Actor Kangana Ranaut's legal team has assured a metropolitan magistrate court in Mumbai that the actor will appear before the court on 4 July.

The actor is to appear in court in connection with a defamation complaint filed against her by lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar. Kangana's team informed the court in writing about her appearance next week at the most recent hearing on Monday. 

Javed Akhtar had filed the complaint in November 2020, alleging that Kangana had made defamatory statements against him in a television interview, which allegedly damaged his reputation.

As per a PTI report, as the matter came up for hearing before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate's court on Monday, her lawyer sought an exemption from the actor's personal appearance for the day. The court then directed Kangana's legal team to file Pursis (written statement or information given to the court pertaining to any matter pending before it), stating that the accused will remain present on the next date of hearing (4 July).

After the Pursis was filed by Kangana's lawyer, the court granted an exemption for the day. The court also reserved the hearing on a plea seeking the issuance of a warrant against Kangana till the next hearing, the report said.

In November 2020, Javed Akhtar filed the complaint after Kangana invoked him in a TV interview. In his complaint, Javed claimed that Kangana dragged his name during the interview while referring to a 'coterie' that allegedly exists in Bollywood. Kangana's TV interview was linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020.

Sushant died at his home on 14 June, 2020. His death snowballed into a number of controversies with central agencies like CBI, NCB, and ED investigating a number of cases ranging from abetment to suicide, drug consumption, and embezzlement in connection with his death.