Kangana Ranaut Appears in Court Over Farmers' Protest Tweet: Expresses Regret for Misunderstanding

The comment was made during the 2020-21 farmer protests against the now-repealed farm laws.

Bathinda/Chandigarh:

Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut appeared before a Bathinda court on Monday regarding a defamation case related to her 2021 tweet. During the court appearance, she stated there was a "misunderstanding" about her social media post and emphasized that she respects every mother figure.

The court had previously rejected Ranaut's request to appear via video conference and directed her to be present in person. Security measures were heightened around the Bathinda court complex in anticipation of her arrival.

The defamation case originated from Ranaut's retweet with personal comments concerning 73-year-old Mahinder Kaur, a resident of Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Punjab's Bathinda district. This occurred during the farmer protests against farm laws that have since been repealed.

Dressed in a saree and wearing sunglasses, Ranaut arrived at the court complex around 2 pm. Speaking to reporters after her appearance, she maintained that her comments were not directed at any specific individual.

"Whatever misunderstanding happened with the family of Mahinder ji, I conveyed a message to her husband about how she became a victim of misunderstanding," Ranaut stated.

While Mahinder Kaur was not present at the court, her husband attended the proceedings. Ranaut expressed, "Never in my dreams could I imagine this... Every 'mata', whether from Punjab or Himachal, is respectable to me."

When questioned if she acknowledged making a mistake, Ranaut suggested that proper examination of the case would show no wrongdoing on her part. "There was a retweet which was used as a meme. I have discussed this with Mahinder ji's husband," she explained, adding that the meme featured multiple women and made no comments targeting any specific person.

Nevertheless, Ranaut expressed regret regarding the misunderstanding that arose from her post.

Mahinder Kaur's complaint, filed in Bathinda in January 2021, alleged that Ranaut defamed her by incorrectly identifying her as Bilkis Bano, an activist who gained prominence during the 2020 Shaheen Bagh protest. Kaur claimed the actor made "false imputations and remarks" by comparing her with the "dadi" who participated in the Shaheen Bagh demonstrations.

Kaur stated she had been actively involved in the farmers' protest against the farm laws from the beginning and, despite her advanced age, traveled to Delhi to join the agitation. She emphasized having no connection with the woman from Shaheen Bagh who appeared in Time magazine.

Ranaut had challenged the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order refusing to dismiss the complaint against her. The High Court stated in its August 1 ruling that "specific allegations against the petitioner, who is a celebrity, that false and defamatory imputations by her in the retweet have dented the respondent's reputation" justified the filing of the complaint.

On September 12, the Supreme Court told Ranaut that her post was "not a simple retweet" and that she "added spice" to the original content. Following this, Ranaut withdrew her petition.