The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday rejected a criminal petition filed by actor‑turned‑politician Kangana Ranaut, thereby allowing a defamation case initiated against her to proceed to trial. Ranaut had sought dismissal of both the underlying complaint and the summoning order issued by a Bathinda court under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
High Court rejects Kangana Ranaut’s pleas to quash defamation case over farmers’ protest
The legal action stems from a retweet shared by Ranaut during the 2020–21 farmers’ protests. In her post she wrote, “Ha ha ha she is the same dadi who featured in Time magazine for being the most powerful Indian…. And she is available in 100 rupees. Pakistani jurno’s have hijacked international PR for India in an embarrassing way. We need our own people to speak for us internationally.”
During the hearing under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the bench of Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya carefully analysed the evidence and arguments. The court stated, “There are specific allegations against the petitioner, who is a celebrity, that false and defamatory imputations by her in the retweet have dented the respondent’s reputation and lowered her in her own estimation, as also in the eyes of others. Therefore, filing of the complaint to vindicate her rights cannot be termed mala fide
Justice Dahiya further noted, “The order has been passed after due application of mind to the facts of the case, by examining the preliminary evidence in the light of relevant provisions of law.”
Observers highlighted that Ranaut’s defence hinged on the argument that the retweet lacked malice and was shared in good faith—without awareness of any factual inaccuracy. However, the High Court dismissed this rationale, rejecting that she was automatically protected under the Ninth or Tenth Exceptions to Section 499 IPC, which pertain to statements made in good faith for public good or cautioning others.
Significantly, the court also pointed out that Ranaut had not tendered any apology or acknowledgement of the mistake after being informed that the person in the image was mistakenly identified—and not the “Shaheen Bano” or the “Time magazine” figure as implied.
The Bathinda magistrate had previously issued a summons on February 22, 2022, after preliminary evidence satisfied him that a prima facie case of defamation existed. The High Court affirmed that determination, noting that the magistrate “duly applied mind to the material on record” before issuing process.
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