A metropolitan magistrate's court on Tuesday said it will issue an arrest warrant against Kangana Ranaut if she does not appear at the next hearing in the defamation case filed by poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar.
The Court heard from Ranaut's lawyer, Rizwan Siddiqui that she had been exhibiting "Covid-like symptoms" and was not feeling well. He also provided a doctor's note as proof of her health.
"She has been travelling a lot to promote her film and has been meeting a lot of people. So she has probably contracted Covid due to that. She has to undergo a test. I am seeking a short date," Siddiqui told the judge.
Meanwhile, Akhtar's lawyer Jay Bhanushali argued against Ranaut's motion in court, claiming that Ranaut has been prolonging the case.
According to Bhanushali, Ranaut had missed eight hearings since the court had issued a process against her in February, whereas Akhtar had 'diligently' attended nearly all the hearings.
Siddiqui responded that the court had been shut down for three-four of those hearings and claimed that it was a 'genuine' case in which she was unable to appear on Tuesday.
In a statement to the court, Siddiqui stated that he was seeking a short hearing date and that Ranaut will be present for the next hearing unless her Covid-19 test results are positive. In such an instance, he said, he would notify the court with a new plea.
The next hearing has been set for September 20th.