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Thenewsdose.com
Chandigarh,August 1,2025, UPDATED:4.10PM
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a plea filed by actor-turned-politician and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut seeking quashing of a defamation complaint lodged against her by Bathinda-based elderly protester Mahinder Kaur.
Ranaut had sought quashing of the criminal complaint filed under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with the summoning order and all subsequent proceedings in the matter.
Origin of the Dispute
The defamation case stems from a controversial tweet posted by Ranaut during the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed farm laws. In her retweet of a post by one Gautam Yadav—containing the photograph of Mahinder Kaur—Ranaut had commented:
“Ha ha ha she is the same dadi who featured in Time magazine for being the most powerful Indian… And she is available in 100 rupees. Pakistani jurno’s have hijacked international PR for India in an embarrassing way. We need our own people to speak for us internationally.”
The complainant alleged that the post falsely compared her to an elderly woman associated with the Shaheen Bagh protests, who had featured in Time magazine. According to her, she had no connection with the Shaheen Bagh protests and that the imputations were baseless, defamatory, and intended to lower her reputation among her fellow farmers and the public at large.
Complainant’s Position
In her complaint before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Bathinda, Mahinder Kaur stated that she came from a farming family and had actively participated in the farmers’ agitation. She claimed the comments subjected her to “public ridicule, insult, and mental distress” and diminished her social standing.
She was represented in court by senior advocate G.K. Mann, along with counsels Aditya Dassaur and Armaan Sandhu.
High Court Findings
After examining the petition, Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya of the Punjab and Haryana High Court observed that there was no merit in Ranaut’s plea for quashing. The Bench held that the trial court’s summoning order did not suffer from any legal infirmity and the allegations raised by the complainant required examination during trial.
The court thus dismissed Ranaut’s plea, paving the way for the defamation proceedings to continue before the Bathinda magistrate’s court.
Background & Political Context
The farmers’ protests, which continued for over a year, had triggered widespread social media debates and commentary from celebrities, including Ranaut. Her tweet on Mahinder Kaur had sparked outrage at the time, with many accusing her of spreading misinformation and making derogatory remarks against elderly women protestors.
Ranaut, who was recently elected as a Member of Parliament from Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), now faces the continuation of defamation proceedings at a time when her political and public profile is under increasing scrutiny.
