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Bombay High Court junks Kangana Ranaut’s plea against defamation case by Javed Akhtar

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The Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut seeking to quash the criminal defamation proceedings initiated against her before the Andheri Magistrate Court by poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar last year.

In her verdict, Justice Revati Mohite-Dere upheld the discretionary orders of the Andheri Court Magistrate directing the police to probe into the allegations levelled by Akhtar against Ranaut, both stalwarts in the film industry.

In his complaint, Akhtar, a Padma Bhushan and five-time National Award winner, had accused Ranaut, a Padma Shri and three-time National Award winner, of making defamatory statements against him on national and international television in an apparent “clear campaign to tarnish and malign” him in the eyes of the people.

In March this year, the Magistrate issued a bailable warrant against Ranaut who appeared before the court and was granted bail, and in July she moved the high court challenging the proceedings initiated by the lower court.

Through her lawyer Rizwan Siddique, Ranaut contended that instead of directing the Juhu Police to probe the matter, the court was duty bound to examine Akhtar and the witnesses named in the complaint under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Siddique argued that the Magistrate should have ascertained the veracity of the “one-sided complaint” instead of passing an order ‘mechanically’, pointing out that no evidence was brought on record by Akhtar, and the material relied upon was brought by a third party who was not examined under oath.

Seeking dismissal of Ranaut’s plea and saying it was with the sole intent to delay the matter, Akhtar’s lawyer Jay Bharadwaj said that the due procedures were followed by magistrate and to conduct an impartial probe, all persons involved were summoned but Ranaut remained absent from the proceedings.

Bharadwaj said that the Magistrate could either conduct the investigation, or direct a police officer or a third party for the same, and the Magistrate for one of these three options.

Bollywood

Mumbai: Farhan Akhtar’s Family Driver Misuses Actor’s Cards To Fill His Pockets, Booked For ₹12 Lakh Fraud

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Mumbai: The police have registered a case against the driver of actor Farhan Akhtar’s mother, Honey Irani, and an employee of a petrol pump near Bandra Lake. The accused driver, Naresh Singh, 35, used Akhtar’s cards to fill fuel in Irani’s cars. However, he merely swiped the cards at the petrol pump and an employee there, Arun Singh, 52, gave him cash after keeping his share for the deal.

On October 1, Irani’s manager filed a complaint with the Bandra police against Singh and the petrol pump employee for allegedly cheating them of Rs 12 lakh. According to the FIR, Irani’s manager, Diya Bhatia, 36, while checking the fuel accounts, discovered that a Maruti car with a diesel capacity of 35t was recorded as having received 621t.

When Bhatia questioned Singh, he gave unsatisfactory answers, claiming he only had one card to fill petrol and diesel. The manager examined the cards’ history. She discovered that Singh had used three cards, all registered under Akhtar’s name. She further found that Singh had purchased vehicle oil for a car that had been sold seven years ago. She arranged a meeting with Trani, during which Singh confessed to cheating them.

Singh revealed that in 2022, he obtained three cards from Akhtar’s former driver, Santosh Kumar. After obtaining the cards, he always filled petrol and diesel at the SV Road petrol pump near Bandra Lake, where he conspired with the petrol pump employee. Singh frequently swiped the cards without filling petrol or diesel and was given cash after a deduction of Rs 1,000- 1500.

A case has been registered under Sections 318 (criminal breach of trust), 418 (cheating), and 3(5) (general provisions) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

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Bollywood

‘Stranger Asked For Nude Pics’: Akshay Kumar Reveals Daughter’s Disturbing Online Game Incident; Warns Parents Of Cyber Threats

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Mumbai: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, known for keeping his personal life private, revealed a disturbing incident involving his 13-year-old daughter. Speaking at a cyber awareness program, the actor recounted how an unknown individual tried to target his daughter while she was playing an online video game.

Kumar explained, “A few months ago, my daughter was playing an online game. Some games allow interaction with strangers. While she was playing, she received messages like ‘Thank you,’ ‘That was great,’ ‘You’re doing so well,’ ‘Fantastic’ – very courteous messages that seemed harmless.”

However, the tone soon changed. “Suddenly, the person asked where she was from. She replied, ‘Mumbai.’ The conversation continued politely at first, but then the stranger asked, ‘Are you male or female?’ She answered, ‘Female.’ Shockingly, the stranger then requested her to send nude pictures,” Akshay said.

Nitara immediately closed the game and informed her mother, Twinkle Khanna, about the incident. Akshay praised his daughter’s quick thinking and her decision to share the matter with her parents.

“This is exactly how such incidents start. Children are often trapped online, later extorted for money, and in many cases, these crimes have even led to suicides,” Kumar warned.

The actor urged parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities and stressed the importance of awareness about the dangers on gaming and social platforms.

“Parents must educate their children, supervise online interactions, and teach them how to respond to strangers in digital spaces,” he added.

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Rani Mukerji-starrer ‘Mardaani 3’ poster unveiled on first day of Navratri

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Mumbai, Sep 22: On the first day of Navratri, the makers of “Mardaani 3” unveiled a new poster of the upcoming film setting up an epic battle between good and evil.

Yash Raj Films’ on Monday shared the poster on Instagram. The poster focuses on a close-up of Rani’s hand holding a black handgun, pointing downward. The blurry background features a yellow police barricade with the text “DELHI POLICE” prominently visible.

The caption read: “On the auspicious Day 1 of Navratri, here’s to celebrating the victory of good over evil. #RaniMukerji returns as top cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in Mardaani 3 to investigate the most challenging case of her career. #Mardaani3 in cinemas 27th February, 2026.

Directed by Abhiraj Minawala, the film is slated to release on February 27, 2026.

‘Mardaani’, produced by Yash Raj Films, is the biggest solo female-led franchise in Hindi cinema which came into force 11 years ago. The film franchise has since garnered love and acclaim for its taut storytelling. The blockbuster franchise has received unanimous love from people and has attained a cult status amongst cine-lovers.

‘Mardaani 3’ will see Rani Mukerji reprise the role of a daredevil cop, Shivani Shivaji Roy, who selflessly fights for justice.

Rani had earlier revealed that the edge of the seat thriller is ‘dark, deadly and brutal’ and it immediately piqued curiosity amongst netizens, the fans of the star and the franchise.

‘Mardaani’, which was released in 2014, was directed by Pradeep Sarkar. The second instalment was directed by Gopi Puthran, who wrote the first part of the film franchise.

While ‘Mardaani’ followed the story of human-trafficking, ‘Mardaani 2’, which was released in 2019, followed the story of a psychopath, rapist and murderer. The film franchise is known for sketching dreadful characters of its villains who are eventually countered by the titular character symbolising the victory of good over evil.

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