It seems actress and politician Kangana Ranaut is in a bit of a jam again. A court in Punjab just rejected her request to appear virtually for a defamation case. Instead, she’s been told to show up in person.
On Monday, a court in Bathinda, Punjab, told the MP and actress to be there on October 27. She had asked to attend through video conferencing. But the court made it clear she needs to physically present herself.
The Defamation Story
This whole situation goes back to the farmers’ protest of 2020-21. According to the Press Trust of India, a defamation case was filed against Kangana then. She had shared a retweet that mentioned Mahinder Kaur, a woman from a village in Bathinda district. In that tweet, Kangana reportedly compared Mahinder Kaur to Bilkis Bano, the older woman famous from the Shaheen Bagh protests.
Virtual Request Denied
Kangana’s lawyer had asked the court if she could attend the proceedings via video link. However, after listening to arguments from both sides, the court turned down her request.
Raghubir Singh Beniwal, the lawyer for Mahinder Kaur, spoke about the court’s decision. He said they opposed Kangana’s application. Beniwal explained that the law typically doesn’t let an accused person skip the first hearing of a case. He asked the court to make sure she appears. He even suggested an arrest warrant should be issued if she doesn’t show up.
The Complaint Against Kangana
Mahinder Kaur, who is 73 years old, stated her allegations in the complaint. She accused Kangana Ranaut, the BJP MP from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, of spreading false statements about her on Twitter. This platform is now known as X. Kaur claims Kangana damaged her reputation by incorrectly calling her Bilkis Bano of Shaheen Bagh.