‘You have added spice’: Setback for Kangana Ranaut in Supreme Court in defamation case over farmers' protest remark
Kangana Ranaut withdrew her plea from the Supreme Court to quash a defamation complaint related to her retweet about farm law protests.
Actor and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kangana Ranaut on Friday withdrew her plea from the Supreme Court seeking to quash a criminal defamation complaint filed against her over a retweet linked to the 2020-21 farmers' protests against the Centre’s farm laws.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta showed its disinclination to entertain the plea and allowed Kangana Ranaut's counsel to withdraw it after suggesting that the actor-BJP MP could pursue alternative remedies before the trial court.
The BJP leader had moved the top court after the Punjab and Haryana high court dismissed her plea earlier, ruling that she failed to establish that her allegedly defamatory post was made in good faith.
Soon after the matter was taken up, Justice Mehta expressed reservations about the comments of the petitioner. "What about your comments? It was not a simple retweet. You have added your own comments. You have added spice," Justice Mehta observed, Live Law reported.
The counsel submitted that the petitioner has given a clarification for her comments. To this, Justice Mehta said the clarification can be given before the trial court. "The situation is such that I can't travel in Punjab," the counsel said.
The bench said Ranaut can seek an exemption from personal appearance.
The report added that when the counsel sought to argue further, the bench warned that it may be constrained to make adverse comments, which may prejudice her defence in the trial.
"Don't ask us to comment on what is written in the tweet. It may prejudice your trial. You may have a valid defence," Justice Mehta added.
The actor-turned-politician had challenged the defamation complaint, which stemmed from her retweet comprising her own comment about a woman protestor during the 2020-21 farmer protests against the now-repealed farm laws.
Mahinder Kaur, 73, who hails from Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Punjab's Bathinda district 2021, filed the complaint in Bathinda in January 2021.
Her complaint in a Bathinda court claimed the actor made "false imputations and remarks" against her in a retweet by saying she was the same “dadi” who was part of the Shaheen Bagh protest.
Ranaut's counsel had argued in the Punjab and Haryana high court that the summoning order of the Bathinda court was not sustainable, being violative of the criminal procedure code.
