'You added spice...': SC refuses to quash defamation case against Kangana Ranaut over farmers’ protest tweet
PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to grant relief to actor and Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut in a defamation case linked to her controversial tweet about an elderly woman participating in the 2021 farmers’ protests.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that Kangana Ranaut’s post was not a mere retweet but one with added “spice,” making it inappropriate to quash proceedings at this stage. “Your clarification is for the trial court. Not in a quashing petition,” the Bench remarked.
The petition challenged the defamation proceedings pending before a Bathinda court, where Kangana Ranaut is accused of alleging that protester Mahinder Kaur was paid to join the agitation. Her tweet compared the farmer to another activist and suggested she was being misrepresented in the media for money.
Kangana Ranaut’s counsel argued that the tweet referred not to Kaur but to Bilkis Bano, popularly known as the “Shaheen Bagh dadi,” and pointed out that the actor had later issued a clarification. However, the Court declined to assess the contents of her social media post, noting such arguments could be raised during trial.
“You added spice. It was not a simple retweet… Don’t ask us to comment on your tweet, it may prejudice your trial,” the Bench stated, prompting Ranaut’s counsel to withdraw the plea.
The defamation case dates back to February 22, 2022, when a Bathinda magistrate issued summons to Ranaut under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. Her subsequent plea to quash the summons was dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 1, which ruled that a prima facie case of defamation was made out.
- With inputs from agencies
