Photo Courtesy: Mashable India
MUMBAI
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."
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"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 recognized 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.
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 recognized 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.
On July 7, 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', which marked her directorial debut.
"You have trashed Manikarnika so badly, how can you think so low?" asked an agitated Kangana. On July 10, 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.
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 apologizing 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 July 11 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.
