A Thane court has issued a show-cause notice to poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar in connection with a defamation suit filed against him over his alleged remarks seeking to compare the RSS with the Taliban.
The complaint filed by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member alleged that Akhtar made defamatory remarks and was "well-planned" to defame RSS and "discourage, disparage and misguide" the people who have joined RSS.
Following the complaint, the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Thane issued show-cause notice to Akhtar asking him to respond before November 12.
In the complaint filed, the RSS member accused Akhtar, a former Rajya Sabha member for saying that the goal of RSS is the same as that of the Taliban "even after the highest democratically elected office bearers of Bharat like the incumbent president, vice-president, prime minister and several cabinet ministers…have been supporters and members of RSS.
He added that Akhtar had made the comments "without proof" of even one member having acted "like Taliban". The complainant sought Re 1 as damages and compensation and a permanent injunction to not drag the name of RSS or make such statements.