On Tuesday, a Mumbai court granted actor and Member of Parliament (MP) Kangana Ranaut one final chance to appear before issuing a non-bailable warrant in the defamation case brought by veteran Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar. It was reported that Ranaut missed the scheduled hearing intended to resolve the ongoing dispute. Her lawyer, Rizwan Siddiquee, informed the Bandra court that her absence was due to parliamentary commitments. However, Javed Akhtar’s legal counsel, advocate Jay K Bhardwaj, moved an application requesting the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against Ranaut, citing her repeated absences from almost 40 critical court hearings. With tensions rising, the court has given Ranaut one last opportunity to appear, hinting at potential legal repercussions if she fails to do so. The legal battle between Ranaut and Akhtar began in 2020 when the actress mentioned a supposed meeting with Akhtar from 2016 during a televised interview. Akhtar subsequently denied her allegations and filed a defamation case against her, claiming that her statements had damaged his reputation.
