Kangana Ranaut sends legal notice to press bodies for 'immoral, wrongful' support to PTI reporter

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut on Saturday sent a legal notice to the committee members of Entertainment Journalist Guild (EJG) and Press Council of India (PCI) for supporting a journalist , who got involved in a spat with her during her film’s song launch. The legal notice was sent for “wrongful, immoral, unethical and illegal acts of lending support to a journalist Justin Rao , who is accused of indulging in unprofessional and illegal activities.” [caption id=“attachment_4394631” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Kangana Ranaut. Image from Twitter/@CNNNews18[/caption] “That neither of you Addresses (Entertainment Journalist Guild and Press Council of India) is an adjudicating authority or a court, or even otherwise have any legal standing (as a recognised body), or the power, authority or the discretion to illegally and unconstitutionally ban my client Ms Kangana Ranaut, in any manner whatsoever,” the legal notice read. Kangana’s sister Rangoli Chandel shared screenshots of the legal notice on social media. Check out Kangana Ranaut’s legal notice to EJG, PCI

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The notice termed that the “acts of the commission of lending support to a journalist who is blatantly indulging in illegal acts and criminal acts- and instead demanding an apology from Kangana Ranaut as illegal, unwarranted and criminal in nature.” “You addressees (which can only be recognised through its Journalist members) cannot deny the fact that your said members by virtue of being Journalists should neither contravene the provisions of the Press Council of India Act, 1978 or the ‘Norms of Journalistic conduct’ nor can you extend any support whether directly or indirectly to such persons who are prima facie guilty of professional misconduct coupled with criminal wrong,” the legal notice read. It also accused the “addresses” of being guilty of violating various provisions of the Competition Act, 2002. “You Addresses both jointly and severally have illegally formed a “cartel” and are mischievously not only seeking to openly encourage Journalists in ridiculing, insulting, annoying, criminally intimidating and defaming my client Ms. Kangana Ranaut, but are also using force and threats (of enforcing an illegal ban on her as an Artist in her trade as a Hindi Film Heroine) and to make my client surrender to such criminal acts, and thereby seek an apology which prima facie also amounts to ‘criminal extortion’,” it said. The notice also mentioned the various provisions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including Section 503 (Criminal Intimidation), Section 506, Section 499 (defamation), Section 383 (extortion), Section 384, and Section 385. The notice warned the addresses to “rectify all wrongs” done by them within 24 hours and failing to do so will result in an action against them. “Now before my client is constrained to initiate strict proceedings and other actions including seeking huge compensatory (monetary) damages from you Addresses, for the said illegal acts already committed by you, she is hereby through me, giving you one last opportunity to rectify all wrongs so committed by you within 24 hours failing which all actions may be initiated by my client under constraint shall be certainly at the risk, cost and consequence of the board members of your organization,” the notice read. On 7 July, the actor got into a heated argument with a journalist who was present at the song launch event of her upcoming movie Judgementall Hai Kya . She lambasted the reporter for writing “dirty things” about her film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi , which marked her directorial debut. “You have trashed Manikarnika so badly, how can you think so low?” asked an agitated Kangana. On 10 July, The Entertainment Journalists’ Guild of India boycotted the Queen actor and denied giving her media coverage after she indulged in an ugly spat with the journalist. “We, as a guild, have collectively decided to boycott Ms Ranaut and not give her any media coverage. Rest assured, we will not let this matter affect Judgementall Hai Kya in any manner and will be supportive of your film and other cast members, barring Ms Ranaut,” the organisation stated in a letter addressed to Ekta Kapoor, the producer of the upcoming film Judgementall Hai Kya. The notice sent by her lawyer included screenshots of various comments made by the journalist on social media against Kangana. Ekta instantly issued a statement apologising for the incident, which was shared by the producer on both Twitter and Instagram. The production house, however, refrained from naming Kangana and referred to her as Judgementall Hai Kya actor. Reacting on the controversy which happened at the song launch, Kangana’s sister Rangoli Chandel shared a video on 11 July of the actor where she can be seen accusing the journalists of being rotten and cheap freeloaders and challenged the media to go ahead and ban her. (With inputs from Asian News International)