A sessions court in Mumbai on Wednesday rejected actor Kangana Ranaut’s pleas seeking to transfer two cases involving her and lyricist Javed Akhtar from the city court of the Andheri magistrate, reported Bar and Bench.

One of the cases is a defamation suit filed by Akhtar against Ranaut and the other is a counter-complaint by the actor accusing the lyricist of extortion and criminal intimidation.

Akhtar had filed a defamation case against Ranaut in November 2020 for her comments during a television interview regarding actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death in June that year. Ranaut had told Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami that Akhtar was part of a “suicide gang” and that “he can get away with pretty much anything in Mumbai”.

During the proceedings of the defamation case, Ranaut filed a counter complaint against Akhtar in September 2021. She alleged that during a feud with actor Hrithik Roshan, Akhtar had called her and her sister Rangoli Chandel to his home with “malafide intention and ulterior motive”

Ranaut and Roshan reportedly broke off their relationship in 2016. The break-up had led to a public spat between the two actors.

Ranaut filed a in response to the defamation case brought against her by Javed Akhtar. She accused Akhtar of “extortion and criminal intimidation”.

Ranaut alleged that Akhtar had “criminally intimidated” her and asked her to apologise to Roshan.