Bathinda court asks Kangana Ranaut to appear on Jan 15 in defamation case

A Bathinda court of Punjab has ordered BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut to appear in person on January 15 in a defamation case for her remarks during the farmers’ protest. The court did not accept her request to stay away from the hearing.

The case was filed by Mahinder Kaur, an elderly farmer from Bathinda district. She accused  Ranaut of making false and insulting remarks about her on social media during the 2020–21 farmers’ protest.

The actor  did not appear in the court for the hearing and said she was busy with work in Mumbai. This was her fourth time asking for an exemption. The farmer’s lawyer opposed her request and said that she was intentionally avoiding the case.

The court also noted that Parliament’s winter session is over, so there is no strong reason for her to miss the hearing again.

The case was registered in 2021 under laws related to defamation under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian panel code (IPC) .

The court said it will also hear her request for permanent exemption on January 15.