Punjab-Haryana HC rejects Kangana Ranaut's plea to quash defamation case
What's the story
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rejected a plea by actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut. The plea sought to quash a defamation complaint against her and a summoning order issued by a Bathinda court. The case was initiated following Ranaut's retweet about the 2020-21 farmer protests, which allegedly defamed Mahinder Kaur (73) from Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Punjab's Bathinda district.
Complaint details
What is the case about?
Kaur had accused Ranaut of defaming her in a tweet where she was incorrectly identified as Bilkis Bano, the 'Shaheen Bagh dadi.' In the retweet, Ranaut alleged that the 'Shaheen Bagh dadi' had participated in the farmers' agitation at various border points of Delhi after receiving money. "Ha ha ha ha she is the same dadi [paternal grandmother] who featured in Time magazine for being the most powerful Indian....And she is available in ₹100," she had tweeted.
Legal proceedings
Defamatory statements harmed Kaur's reputation: HC
The complaint was filed in 2021 under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya of the Punjab and Haryana HC stated, "There are specific allegations against the petitioner, who's a celebrity, that false and defamatory imputations by her in the retweet have dented the respondent's reputation."
Petition details
Petition filed under Section 482 of CrPC
The petition was filed before the HC under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), seeking to quash the complaint and the summoning order dated February 22, 2022, by the lower court. The high court dismissed Ranaut's plea on Friday, stating that Kaur's filing of the complaint to vindicate her rights cannot be termed mala fide.