Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian and actor Kangana Ranaut appeared before the Bathinda court on Monday, where she offered an apology for comments she made on social media concerning an elderly woman during the 2020-21 farmers’ protest.
Soon after her court appearance, the newly-elected BJP MP spoke to reporters, stating that she regrets her social media post directed against the woman.
Ranaut appeared at the court under tight security to address a defamation case filed against her by 73-year-old Mahinder Kaur.
The Defamation Complaint and Court History
Last month, the court had rejected a plea filed by the actor requesting permission to appear via video conference. Judicial Magistrate First Class Lakhbir Singh subsequently directed Kangana Ranaut to appear before the court in person on October 27.
In her complaint, Mahinder Kaur alleged that Kangana Ranaut had defamed her in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The actor had allegedly wrongly identified Kaur as Bilkis Bano, a prominent Shaheen Bagh protester, and suggested that such elderly women could be hired to protest for ₹100 during the farmers’ agitation against the now-repealed farm laws of 2020-21.
Legal Challenges and Supreme Court Decision
The legal battle began in February 2022, when a judicial magistrate in Bathinda issued a summons, directing Kangana to appear before the court.
Aggrieved by the order, Ranaut moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court in July 2022, seeking the quashing of both the defamation complaint and the summoning order issued by the lower court. The High Court, however, found no merit in her petition and dismissed it, prompting her to approach the Supreme Court.
On September 12 this year (2025), the Supreme Court declined to entertain her special leave petition (SLP) in the matter. Following the apex court’s refusal, Ranaut’s counsel chose to withdraw the SLP.
It is noteworthy that in 2024, the actor was also involved in a public incident where she was slapped by a female CISF constable during a mandatory security check at the Chandigarh airport, an act reportedly linked to her controversial remarks concerning the farmers’ protest.