New Delhi, September 12 (H.S.): The Supreme Court on Friday declined to grant any relief to BJP MP and actress Kangana Ranaut in the defamation case filed against her over a remark made during the farmers’ protest. The apex court refused to entertain Ranaut’s plea seeking to quash the proceedings.
During the hearing, Justice Sandeep Mehta observed that Ranaut’s comments could not be considered an ordinary tweet. “This was not a simple retweet. You added your own flavour to it, which makes it a matter to be tested in trial. This is not just a casual post,” the court remarked.
Ranaut, who is facing defamation charges for her comments linking a farmers’ protester to those involved in the Shaheen Bagh agitation, argued that she never directly targeted the complainant. Her counsel contended that the original post was only retweeted by several people and that she had merely referred to a protester at Shaheen Bagh, not the complainant herself. The bench, however, maintained that whether her remarks amounted to defamation must be decided during the trial.
Ranaut’s lawyer further argued that it was not possible for her to appear before the trial court in Punjab and claimed that the lower court failed to consider her explanation before issuing summons. The Supreme Court clarified that a trial court is only required to examine the contents of the complaint while issuing summons and not the accused’s justification.
The case stems from a complaint filed by 73-year-old Mahinder Kaur of Bathinda, Punjab, who alleged that Ranaut falsely claimed in her post that Kaur was the same elderly woman who had earlier participated in the Shaheen Bagh protests. Kaur maintained that the statement was defamatory and damaged her reputation.
