The court has ordered Kangana Ranaut to appear physically on October 27. The summons will be served through the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP).
### Background of the Case
The case dates back to January 2021, when Ranaut allegedly defamed an elderly woman farmer on social media during the farmers’ agitation.
### Allegations and Complainant
The defamation complaint was filed by Mahinder Kaur, a 73-year-old resident of Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Bathinda. She alleged that Ranaut had defamed her in a social media post by mistakenly identifying her as Shaheen Bagh protester Bilkis Bano.
Ranaut’s tweet read, “She is the same daadi who featured in Time magazine for being the most powerful Indian. And she is available in 100.”
Feeling harmed by these remarks, Kaur filed the case on January 4, 2021, claiming damage to her reputation.
### Legal Proceedings
In February 2022, the Bathinda court issued summons to Ranaut. Following this, Ranaut approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking relief; however, her petition was dismissed.
She then moved the Supreme Court, which also refused to intervene and upheld the lower court’s order.
Ranaut maintained that she had only reposted a lawyer’s social media post without making any independent remarks. Despite this, the Bathinda court found sufficient grounds to continue the proceedings and rejected her plea for a virtual appearance.
### Supreme Court’s Comments
Earlier this month, Supreme Court Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta commented on the case during proceedings. The bench observed,
*”It was not a simple retweet. You have added spice. What this means is a subject matter of trial. Don’t ask us to comment on what is written in the tweet. It may prejudice your trial.”*
The judges noted that the Member of Parliament from Mandi had not merely shared the tweet but had added her own comment, which is central to the trial.
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The upcoming court date will be critical in determining the next steps in this ongoing defamation case involving Kangana Ranaut.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/entertainment/bathinda-court-summons-kangana-in-october-in-defamation-case/story
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