Punjab and Haryana HC dismisses Kangana Ranaut’s plea seeking quashing of defamation case
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a petition filed by actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut for quashing a defamation complaint against her by a Bathinda-based elderly protester. Ranaut had sought quashing of the criminal complaint filed under Sections 499 and 500 IPC, as well as the summoning order and all subsequent proceedings in the matter.
The case arose from Ranaut’s tweet—later retweeted with her own comments—during the farmers’ protests against the now-repealed farm laws. In her retweet, Ranaut had commented: “Ha ha ha she is the same dadi who featured in Time magazine for being the most powerful Indian…. And she is available in 100 rupees. Pakistani jurno’s have hijacked international PR for India in an embarrassing way. We need our own people to speak for us internationally.”
This was in reference to a tweet by one Gautam Yadav, which carried the photograph of the complainant, Mahinder Kaur.
The complainant, in her complaint before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Bathinda, alleged that it had falsely compared her to another elderly woman associated with the Shaheen Bagh protests and featured in Time magazine. She contended that the defamatory content not only hurt her pride and honour, but also lowered her reputation among fellow protestors. She asserted that she had no connection with the Shaheen Bagh protests or the woman featured in Time magazine, and that the imputations were wholly false.
She stated that she belonged to a farming family, actively participated in the farmers’ agitation, and that the remarks made by Ranaut—who now serves as a Member of Parliament from Mandi—had subjected her to public ridicule and caused mental distress. She was represented by senior advocate G.K. Mann and counsel Aditya Dassaur and Armaan Sandhu,
After considering the matter, the High Court found no merit in the petition and dismissed it.
The Bench of Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya did not accept the argument for quashing the complaint and the summoning order.
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