Kangana Ranaut faces setback as HC refuses to quash 2021 defamation case over remark against elderly woman
PTC Web Desk: Actress-turned-MP Kangana Ranaut has suffered a significant legal blow after the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed her petition seeking the quashing of a defamation complaint filed in Bathinda in 2021. The case pertains to a controversial social media post made by Kangana Ranaut during the farmers’ protest, in which she claimed that elderly women protesters were being paid Rs 100 per day to participate.
The HC decision clears the path for the trial proceedings to resume, which had been stayed since 2021.
The post that sparked the complaint
In January 2021, Mohinder Kaur, an elderly woman from Bathinda, filed a defamation complaint against Kangana Ranaut after the actress posted her photograph during the farmers’ agitation, alleging that such women were “brought in for Rs 100 per day to protest.” The post drew massive public backlash.
The complaint was registered in Bathinda under defamation charges, claiming that Kangana Ranaut's post had maligned the elderly woman's reputation and caused emotional distress.
In her plea to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Kangana contended that she was not the original author of the controversial post. She argued that the content had been tweeted by one Gautam Yadav, a lawyer, and that she had merely retweeted it. Despite this, she claimed, she was wrongfully named as the accused, while the original author was not made a party to the case.
Kangana Ranaut sought the quashing of the defamation complaint, saying there was no criminal intent behind the retweet and that the case against her was legally unsustainable.
In response to her petition, the High Court had earlier stayed the trial court proceedings, putting the case on hold for over three years.
However, the High Court, in its fresh order, rejected Kangana Ranaut’s plea, stating that the trial must proceed based on the available material and facts. The dismissal means that the Bathinda court can now resume the defamation trial, which had been stalled since 2021.
This comes as a major setback for Kangana Ranaut, who currently serves as a Member of Parliament after her recent political debut.
- PTC NEWS
