Kangana Ranaut Withdraws SC Plea in Farmers’ Protest Defamation Case

Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut withdrew her Supreme Court petition on Friday, which challenged the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s refusal to quash a defamation complaint against her. The complaint, filed in 2021 by 73-year-old Mahinder Kaur from Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Punjab’s Bathinda district, stemmed from Ranaut’s remarks during the 2020-21 farmers’ protests against the now-repealed farm laws.

The case originated from Ranaut’s retweet, which included her comment falsely linking Kaur to the Shaheen Bagh protests, labelling her as a “dadi” involved in the farmers’ agitation. Kaur’s complaint, lodged in a Bathinda court, accused Ranaut of making “false imputations and remarks”. Ranaut’s legal team argued in the high court that the Bathinda court’s summoning order violated the criminal procedure code, but the plea was dismissed, prompting her appeal to the Supreme Court.

On Friday, the Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, expressed reluctance to entertain Ranaut’s plea. Following this, her counsel opted to withdraw the petition. The withdrawal marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battle over Ranaut’s controversial statements during the farmers’ protests, which had sparked widespread debate.

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The farmers’ protests, centred on Delhi’s borders, opposed three agricultural laws repealed in November 2021. Ranaut’s remarks had drawn criticism for allegedly misrepresenting protestors and escalating tensions at the time.

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