Kangana Ranaut gets bail in defamation case linked to farmers’ protest tweet: “Never imagined this controversy”
Actor and politician Kangana Ranaut was granted bail on Monday by a Bathinda court in Punjab in connection with a defamation case filed by farmer protestor Mahinder Kaur. The case dates back to 2021, when Kaur accused Ranaut of defaming her through a social media post during the farmers’ protest. Arriving at the court around 2 pm dressed in a saree and sunglasses, Ranaut told reporters that she regretted the “misunderstanding” caused by her post but maintained that she had not made any direct remarks against any individual.“Whatever misunderstanding happened with the family of Mahinder ji, I gave a message to her husband for mata ji about how she was the victim of a misunderstanding,” Ranaut said after the hearing. “Never in my dreams could I imagine this controversy. Every mata, be she from Punjab or Himachal, is respectable to me,” she added. When asked if she believed she had made an unintentional mistake, Ranaut said that the issue had been misinterpreted. “There was a retweet that was used as a meme. There were many women in that meme, and no comments were made against any individual,” she clarified, adding that she had already spoken to Mahinder Kaur’s husband regarding the matter. The actor further stated that she “regretted the misunderstanding” that followed the post but emphasized that her intentions were never to insult or misidentify anyone. Mahinder Kaur’s counsel, Raghubir Singh Beniwal, confirmed that the court granted bail to Ranaut on a bond furnished by her father. He added that Ranaut also moved a plea seeking permanent exemption from personal appearances, which he opposed. According to Beniwal, when the court asked Ranaut whether she wanted to say anything, the actor said she wished to apologise to the complainant, asserting that her post was not intended to target anyone. The court then sought the response of Mahinder Kaur’s husband, Labh Singh, who said he would consult with family members before deciding whether to accept the apology. The matter has now been listed for hearing on November 24. The complaint, filed in January 2021, alleged that Ranaut had wrongly identified Mahinder Kaur as Bilkis Bano, the elderly activist known for her participation in the 2020 Shaheen Bagh protests. Kaur claimed that the actor’s “false imputations and remarks” compared her to the “dadi” from Shaheen Bagh, despite her being part of the farmers’ protest since its inception. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had observed that Ranaut’s post “was not a simple retweet” and that the actor had “added spice” to the existing content. Following this remark, Ranaut withdrew her plea before the apex court. Also Read: Kangana Ranaut praises Rishab Shetty’s Kantara, says, “Films like these can help preserve tribal culture”.