Kangana Ranaut Ordered to Appear in Bathinda Court on October 27 in Defamation Case

Bollywood actor and BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, has received a setback from a Bathinda court in a defamation case linked to her comments on the 2021 farmers' agitation. The court rejected her plea for virtual appearance, mandating her physical presence on October 27.

The order will be delivered to her through the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP).

The case originates from January 2021, when 81-year-old Mahinder Kaur, a resident of Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Bathinda, filed a complaint under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. Kaur accused Ranaut of defaming her by misidentifying her in a retweet as the Shaheen Bagh 'dadi' Bilkis Bano, claiming such women joined protests for Rs 100.

Ranaut's post, which included a photo of Kaur, read: "Hahaha, this is the same dadi featured by Time magazine as a powerful Indian woman. She's available for Rs 100. Pakistani journalists have hijacked India's international PR in a shameful way. We need our own people to speak up globally."

Ranaut defended herself, stating she merely reposted a lawyer's tweet without intent to harm. The Bathinda Judicial Magistrate summoned her in February 2022 after 13 months of hearings. She challenged it in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which dismissed her plea to quash the proceedings on August 1, 2025.

Her subsequent Supreme Court appeal was withdrawn on September 12, 2025, after the bench remarked she had "added spice" to the original post.

The trial resumed in Bathinda on August 11 with Kaur's husband representing her. Ranaut's counsel indicated plans to appeal the High Court order in the Supreme Court, but no stay was granted. This episode echoes a June 6, 2024, incident at Chandigarh airport, where CISF constable Kulwinder Kaur slapped Ranaut, citing her remarks on women farmers, including the constable's mother who participated in the protests.

No FIR was filed, as Ranaut did not lodge a complaint.