High Court Upholds Defamation Case Against Kangana Ranaut

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday rejected Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's attempt to quash a defamation complaint against her. The case, originating from her controversial retweet during the 2020-21 farmer protests, alleges that she misidentified Mahinder Kaur, a 73-year-old from Bathinda, as Bilkis Bano of Shaheen Bagh.

Ranaut's retweet suggested that the 'Shaheen Bagh dadi' was involved in the farmer demonstrations, damaging Kaur's reputation. The court highlighted that the Bathinda Magistrate had properly considered the evidence before determining that there was sufficient basis for the complaint under Sections 499 of the Indian Penal Code.

The high court dismissed Ranaut's plea filed under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, aiming to annul the defamation complaint and summoning order. Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya emphasized that the filing of the complaint to protect Kaur's rights cannot be considered malicious.

(With inputs from agencies.)