Kangana Ranaut sends legal notice to Entertainment Journalists Guild over ‘ban’, issues 24-hour ultimatum to 'rectify all wrongs'

Kangana Ranaut has sent a legal notice to the Entertainment Journalists Guild of India, that called for a ban on the actress, and the Press Club of India, that supported it, amid her ongoing row with journalists, following a spat with a reporter at a recent event. The notice, sent through her lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee, accused the two organisations of ‘criminally intimidating’ and ‘defaming’ Kangana and demanded, along with an apology, that the bodies withdraw the ban within 24 hours, failing which legal action would be initiated against them. 

READ: Kangana Ranaut-Journalist Ugly Spat: Ekta Kapoor's Apology Doesn't Do The Trick, Entertainment Journalists' Guild To Continue Ban On Kangana

The notice termed the Entertainment Journalists Guild as ‘unregistered’ and the Press Club of India as ‘merely a press club’ with ‘no legal standing’ to ‘unconstitutionally’ ban the actress. 

The lawyer also stated that the journalist, Justin Rao, who got into an argument with Kangana at a song launch of ‘Judgementall Hai Kya’ movie, indulged in ‘criminal activities’ and that the journalists supporting him had ‘violated’ Norms of Journalistic Conduct and Press Council of India Act, 1978 by ‘openly ridiculing, insulting, annoying, criminally intimidating and defaming’ his client. 

“That you Addresses both jointly and severally have illegally formed a ‘cartel’ and are mischievously not only seeking to openly encourage Journalist/s in ridiculing, insulting, annoying, criminally intimidating and defaming my client Ms. Kangana Ranaut, but are using force and threats and to make my client surrender to such criminal acts, and thereby seek an apology which prima facie also amounts to ‘criminal extortion’,” (sic) the notice stated. 

The notice also accused the journalists of violating the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002, while listing the Sections of the Indian Penal Code that deals with criminal intimidation, defamation and extortion. 

The notice concluded, “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 and final opportunity to rectify all wrongs so committed by you within 24 hours, failing which all actions as may be initiated by my client under constraint shall be entirely at the risk, costs and consequences of the board members of your organisation.” (sic) 

Kangana had accused the journalist, before he could complete his question, of running a ‘smear campaign’ against her, an allegation that was denied by him. The other journalists had stood up for him, following which the decision to enforce a ban on the actress was taken by the Entertainment Journalists Guild of India.  

READ: Mumbai Press Club Backs Boycott Of Kangana Ranaut, Says 'will Examine The Option Of Pressing Charges Of Abuse'

While one of the producers, Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures expressed regret over the incident, Kangana in a video, further mocked the fraternity. Her sister Rangoli Chandel has also been going hammer and tongs against the media persons.