Actress Kangana Ranaut has moved the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the criminal proceedings initiated against her by the orders of a Magistrate on a defamation suit filed by lyricist Javed Akhtar. The actress has claimed that the Magistrate didn't follow the due procedure while initiating criminal proceedings against her and has accordingly sought to quash the same.
According to Kangana's plea filed through her advocate Rizwan Siddiqui, the Magistrate at Andheri instead of examining the witnesses, who have signed the complaint of Akhtar, has directly ordered the Juhu Police to record their statements.
She has said, "Instead of using his powers, the Magistrate has blatantly used the police machinery to collect the signed witness statement, as and by way of inquiry conducted by a police officer, which is completely unheard of."
The actress has claimed that instead of ordering the police to record the statements of witnesses, the Magistrate should have had himself examined the witnesses as envisaged in the CrPC. She has further claimed that the witnesses might get influenced by the police, which is ordered to record the statements in the cases.
"Thus, recording of evidence of material witnesses under oath was crucial for establishing whether any direct or actual case is made out by the complainant," the plea states, adding, "Such a practice if allowed, will set a wrong precedent for other Magistrates and also affect the right and liberties to the accused in the cases."
Notably, the actress is facing the criminal proceedings over a criminal defamation suit filed by Akhtar. She had given a controversial interview to TV journalist Arnab Goswami and had even levelled allegations against the lyricist.
