HC dismisses Kangana's plea seeking quashing of defamation case initiated on Javed Akhtar's plaint
Mumbai, (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed the plea filed by actor Kangana Ranaut seeking quashing of the criminal defamation proceedings initiated against her by a court here based on lyricist Javed Akhtar's complaint.
High court judge, Justice Revati Mohite Dere, who had on September 1 reserved her order on the plea, said the applicant's (Ranaut's) petition "stands dismissed".
Ranaut, through her counsel Rizwan Siddiquee, had challenged the defamation proceedings that were initiated by the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate's court earlier this year, saying that the court had failed to apply its mind to the case.
Akhtar's counsel Jay Bharadwaj, however, told the high court that the magistrate had directed for the police inquiry after going through the lyricist's complaint and excerpts of Ranaut's interview, in which she had made the alleged defamatory comments.
Akhtar had filed the criminal complaint against Ranaut in November last year before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate for allegedly making defamatory and baseless comments against him in a television interview given to journalist Arnab Goswami.
In December 2020, the court directed the Juhu police to conduct an inquiry into Akhtar's complaint against Ranaut and then initiated criminal proceedings against her, and issued summons to her in February this year.
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Karnataka Bal Vikas Academy confers Honourary Award on Shaheen Group of Institutions
Six others honoured across various categories
Dharwad: The Karnataka Bal Vikas Academy (KBVA) has conferred its prestigious Academy Honorary Award on the Bidar-based Shaheen Group of Institutions, alongside six other distinguished awardees for the year 2023–24.
The Academy, headquartered in Dharwad, functions under the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka.
Sangamesh A. Babaleshwar, President of the KBVA, announced the recipients of the academy’s prestigious “Academy Honourary Award” for the year 2023–24 at a press conference held in Dharwad on Thursday.
The honours recognise outstanding contributions in the fields of children’s literature, education, theatre, culture, and social service.
The Shaheen Group of Institutions was selected for its notable contribution to children’s education and social service.
The institution has been widely recognised for its sustained efforts in providing quality education and educational opportunities to children from diverse and underserved backgrounds.
The other recipients of the Academy Honourary Award for 2023–24 are
1. Pandit Ramakrishna Shastri, Dakshina Kannada, for contributions to children’s literature
2. B. Go. Ramesh from Mysuru for contributions to children’s literature
3. Aruna Narendra from Koppal for contributions to children’s literature
4. Malatesh Badiger, Bengaluru, for contributions to children’s theatre
5. Pratap R. Bahuroopi, Hubballi, for contributions in education and fine arts
6. Nagasimha G. Rao, Bengaluru, for contributions to literature and culture
The award ceremony will be held on 16 December 2025 at Suvarna Soudha, Belagavi, where the awardees will be formally honoured in the presence of Cabinet Ministers, officials, and other dignitaries.
