“Added Spice,” the Supreme Court told Kangana Ranaut as she withdrew her plea in the farmers’ protest tweet case. The actor and BJP MP had challenged a Punjab and Haryana High Court order that refused to quash a defamation complaint.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the meaning of a tweet or retweet could not be settled in a quashing petition. Ms. Ranaut’s counsel argued that she only retweeted a post already shared by many. The bench noted that she “added spice” by adding her own words.
The farmers’ protest tweet case started in 2021. Mahinder Kaur, a 73-year-old farmer from Bathinda, filed a complaint. She alleged that Ms. Ranaut compared her to a Shaheen Bagh protestor and made remarks that hurt her dignity.
The high court dismissed Ms. Ranaut’s plea earlier. It said specific allegations existed and could not be ignored. The Supreme Court added that any clarification must go before the trial court. It also said the complaint could not be called mala fide since it sought to protect reputation.
