Kangana Ranaut-Javed Akhtar case heads for mediation as they seek settlement

Five years after Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar filed a defamation complaint against actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, the legal battle is now headed for mediation. A Magistrate's court in Mumbai has agreed to the request by Akhtar and Ranaut for settlement talks to be mediated by a judge, and the matter has been referred to mediation.

Akhtar's complaint was initially being heard by the Andheri Magistrate's court. However, a few months ago, when Ranaut was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, the case was transferred to a special court for MPs in Bandra.

The Bandra Magistrate's court had barely started the hearing when, on November 5, advocates Jay K Bhardwaj (representing Akhtar) and Rizwan Siddiquee (representing Ranaut) submitted that "settlement talks are going on" between the two parties. By mutual consent, the advocates sought an adjournment and requested a date a month later to allow the settlement talks to proceed.

However, the talks did not appear to result in a resolution. When the case came up for hearing before the Special Magistrate on December 9, the lawyers stated that certain issues had arisen, preventing a settlement. They expressed a preference for mediation to be conducted by a judge rather than by lawyers.

The Magistrate agreed to their request and noted, "On submission of both advocates, the matter is referred to mediation".

Mediation meetings between the two parties will be held, and the Magistrate will hear the case again on January 21, 2025, with the hope that mediation will successfully resolve the matter.

This legal battle stems from a meeting held at Akhtar's residence in March 2016. At the time, Ranaut and actor Hrithik Roshan were in the news over exchanged emails, which had escalated into a public spat. Akhtar, reportedly close to the Roshans, took it upon himself to hold a meeting with Ranaut and allegedly asked her to apologise to Roshan.

Ranaut did not respond immediately. However, in 2020, following actor Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged suicide, Ranaut described the 2016 meeting with Akhtar during a televised interview. Akhtar found the interview defamatory and subsequently filed a defamation complaint against Ranaut.

The legal dispute intensified when Ranaut filed a counter-complaint against Akhtar, alleging that he attempted to coerce her into apologising under undue pressure. This proceeding against Akhtar has since been stayed by the Dindoshi Sessions Court.