A sessions court here on Monday rejected veteran lyricist-poet Javed Akhtar's plea challenging summons issued against him by a magistrate in connection with a criminal case filed by a lawyer over his alleged objectionable remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The lawyer, Santosh Dubey, had in October 2021 filed a complaint against Akhtar before the metropolitan magistrate court in suburban Mulund under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation).