Javed Akhtar receives notice on suit over RSS-Taliban remarks

Mumbai: A Thane court on Monday ordered issuance of a show-cause notice to noted Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar on a defamation suit filed against him over his alleged remarks seeking to compare the RSS with the Taliban.

The suit, filed by RSS activist Vivek Champanerkar in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate and joint civil judge (senior division), seeks Re 1 as compensation from Akhtar.

The court ordered the issuance of the notice returnable on November 12.

The 76-year-old poet, lyricist and screenwriter triggered a controversy early this month when he told a news channel that right-wing all over the world have an uncanny similarity.

"The Taliban want an Islamic country. These people want to make a Hindu Rashtra," the former Member of Parliament said without naming the Nagpur-headquartered Hindutva organisation.

Advocate Aditya Mishra, who appeared for the complainant, argued at length in the court and claimed the defendant (Akhtar) had made "derogatory" remarks against the RSS while appearing in a show of a private news channel.

He said the defendant's remarks "drawing a parallel between barbaric Taliban and organisations working for the Hindu cause" were aimed at vilifying such outfits.

In the petition, Champanerkar said the statements made by the defendant were aimed at belittling the RSS's image in the eyes of the common public. "The defendant uttered unfounded, false and baseless allegations against the organisation of plaintiff in the said show," Mishra said.

"The plaintiff states he has been hurt by defendant's defamatory statement to tarnish the image of plaintiff's organization and hence he is in loss of rupee one for which the defendant is liable to compensate him," according to the suit.