The North News
Chandigarh/ Bathinda, October 27
Kangana Ranaut, an actor-turned-politician and current BJP MP from Mandi, on Monday expressed regret over what she called a “misunderstanding” linked to a 2021 defamation case filed against her by 81-year-old farmer Mahinder Kaur. She appeared before a court in Bathinda, Punjab, in connection with the case.
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Ranaut said she had conveyed her feelings to Mahinder Kaur’s family.
“I am very happy to be in Bathinda today. As you can see, a lot of people have gathered here to meet me. And along with this, the misunderstanding that has happened, I have also sent a message to Mahinder’s family — to her mother, to her husband — that she is a victim of a misunderstanding,” she said.
Ranaut added, “I am also a victim of a misunderstanding. I can never even imagine in my dreams that such a controversy has been created. Every mother, whether from Punjab or Himachal, I am grateful to her.”
She further explained that the case stemmed from a meme she had retweeted at the height of the farmers’ protest. “If you look at the case properly, I did not even have an original sentence in it. There was a retweet, which was used as a meme. I discussed this with Mahinder Kaur’s husband. There were many women in that meme as well. No comment was made about any individual,” she said.
Ranaut concluded by saying she had expressed regret for the misunderstanding and hoped to move forward amicably.
Speaking to reporters outside the court in Bathinda, complainant’s advocate Raghuvir Singh Beniwal said Ranaut folded her hands in court while expressing regret, claiming she had “mistakenly retweeted” the post at the centre of the controversy.
Beniwal said that Mahinder Kaur did not appear in court on Monday, but her husband was present. He added that the decision on whether to accept the apology would be taken collectively by those involved in the case. “It’s unfortunate she has apologised after four years. She didn’t realise this earlier,” he said. She has been granted bail in the case and has moved an application for permanent exemption from appearance, he added. The court has adjourned the matter to November 24.
The case dates back to the farmers’ protest in 2021, when a meme shared by Ranaut triggered outrage. On Monday, she reiterated to the media that the controversy stemmed from a misunderstanding.
