The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear a plea by actress and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut seeking to quash a criminal defamation case filed over her tweet about a female participant in the 2021 farmers’
protests.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard the case, with Justice Mehta noting that Kangana’s tweet was not just a retweet but included her own remarks, saying, “You have added spice.”
“What about your comments? It was not a simple re-tweet. You have added your own comments. You have added spice,” Justice Mehta said.
During the hearing, Ranaut’s counsel argued that she had already issued a clarification for her remarks and cited security concerns about appearing in Punjab.
Justice Mehta, however, noted that clarifications must be placed before the trial court, adding, “Don’t ask us to comment on what is written in the tweet. It may prejudice your trial. You may have a valid defence.”
The bench also suggested that she could seek an exemption from personal appearance. The petition was subsequently dismissed as withdrawn.
The controversy stems from a tweet in which Ranaut shared a post about an elderly protester, Mahinder Kaur, during the farmers’ agitation, writing that she was the same “dadi” who featured in Time magazine and was “available in 100 rupees.”
The comment wrongly identified Kaur as Bilkis Dadi of Shaheen Bagh fame, sparking allegations that she implied such protesters were paid participants.
Following a complaint, a magistrate found prima facie grounds for defamation under Section 499 IPC and issued summons.
Ranaut’s earlier attempt to have the case quashed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court was rejected, with the court holding that her good faith and lack of intent arguments could not override the allegations at this stage.
