Soon after Kangana Ranaut made a string of statements about her past relationship with Aditya Pancholi on national television a few weeks ago, the actor had sent her a legal notice, accusing her of defamation. And today , he is expected to file a criminal defamation case in an Andheri court.

Aditya's lawyers, Zameer Khan and Shreya Srivastav, have cited sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code in their petition. A source close to the actor told BT, “Aditya and his wife (Zarina Wahab) had no option, but to move court. Kangana dragged their names and threw muck at them while promoting her film. The couple is extremely offended and has decided to move court.“

While Zameer and Shreya didn't revert till we went to press, Kangana's lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee maintained that he'll comment on the matter only after the case is officially in court. However, Aditya told BT, “I am not angry, but I am definitely hurt by Kangana's act.“

Aditya adds, “The legal team sent Kangana and her sister Rangoli notices, but their response wasn't up to the mark. We asked them to apologize unconditionally on the same national platforms where Kangana made those derogatory remarks against me. Eventually, her sister and she dragged even my son, daughter and wife into all this. That's the reason Zarina and I decided to file a defamation case against her, which is both civil and criminal.“

Over the last few days, Kangana has been in the headlines after Hrithik Roshan broke his silence on the raging controversy. His statements opened another chapter in their on-going duel, with Farhan Akhtar and Yami Gautam penning open letters in Hrithik's favour. The actor also amassed support from other pockets of the industry. Did that encourage Aditya to file a dual defamation suit against the actress? “My case against Kangana has nothing to do with what is happening between Hrithik and her. Hrithik can deal with his own issues, but I'm clear that I will not keep quiet about whatever is bothering me,“ says Aditya.

He adds, “Cases are fought on merit and evidence. Remarks and statements will not come handy in the court of law, proof will. The onus to prove her merit lies with her. Once the case is up for hearing, we'll know.“

Would it have been more dignified on his part to let the matter pass without moving court, given the sheer amount of dirty linen being washed in public already? “I'm not doing anything undignified,“ argues Aditya, adding, “Kangana has no right to talk about my family and me in such a manner. Why should I shut up? If I don't fight for my family, who will? If someone makes remarks about my family, should I lock myself up in a room and sit tight? Someone has to put an end to her lies, and the only way to do it is through the law. I don't want to stoop to her level.“

Why did you file a defamation suit against Rabbiya Khan?
Aditya: We want her to stop talking s**t about our family. Since the last eight months she has been running a malicious campaign against us on Twitter. She claims I am a drug peddler, my daughter Sana is an addict, my son is a murderer and Zarina is a home-breaker.
Zarina: She has caused us a lot of embarrassment.

You sent her a legal notice objecting to those tweets some time ago, right?
Aditya: Yes, but she replied to the legal notice through her lawyer, saying, “Aditya's reputation is well known in the industry and needs no comments. Lethargic investigation helped Sooraj to stay in the jail for fewer days."This is nothing but character assassination. It made our blood boil.
Zarina: She has no right to malign our family.

The CBI has now taken up the case...
Aditya: We want a thorough probe. That woman keeps changing statements.
Zarina: Yes, let the truth come out. Even Rabbiya knows my son is innocent. I want the CBI to probe Jiah's London days. And most importantly, the letter, which Rabbiya claimed was Jiah's suicide note, needs to be examined thoroughly.

Why is that letter important?
Aditya: Earlier, Rabbiya said that was Jiah's suicide note. Now, she says her daughter was murdered. If she committed suicide, she couldn't have been murdered and vice versa. Jiah's handwriting doesn't match with that in the letters she wrote to Sooraj. And I'm saying this on the basis of a forensic test, which we got done.
Handwriting expert Nisha Menon has given me a report that will hold in any court of law.
Zarina: My son went to jail simply because of that so-called suicide note.

How can you prove that Jiah wrote the letters, which were found in your house?
Aditya: We matched the handwriting with a column written by Jiah in Nari Hira's magazine. Hira was kind enough to help us.
Zarina: I think Rabbiya didn't expect us to have samples of Jiah's handwriting in these days of texts and emails. Rabbiya says Jiah was found dead in a gown but she had entered the building wearing a tracksuit. She also adds that she couldn't have possibly hung herself because the fan was between two beds...
Aditya: Let the CBI investigate every point. We are even ready to undergo a lie-detector test. But Rabbiya too should undergo the same test.
Zarina: We have nothing to hide. We know Sooraj will come out clean.

Did you ever try to stop Sooraj from dating Jiah?
Aditya: I didn't know that my son was seeing Jiah till I bumped into them in Goa. After that, like every other father, I did lecture him on how he should focus on his career. But Jiah was a lovely girl and after a while we had absolutely no objections of her being a part of Sooraj's life.
Zarina: We never tried to stop Sooraj. But let me tell you, Sooraj had told us that Jiah was depressed when he met her for the first time.

Do you think your latest move will silence Rabbiya?
Aditya: If she had apologised for the tweets, we wouldn't have filed the defamation suit. That way, I can say that since she was the first person to enter the house, maybe she killed her daughter.
Zarina: She should keep mum till the verdict is out.

Since Salman Khan is launching Sooraj in the Hero remake, was it his idea to file this suit?
Aditya: No, but we did keep him in the loop.
Zarina: It was my idea. I decided enough is enough, I need to stand up for my son.
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Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 7, 2014)