Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut on Monday appeared before a court here in a defamation case and said there was a "misunderstanding" about her 2021 tweet and that every 'mata' (mother) is respectable to her.
The court had last September directed the BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh to be present in person and rejected her plea to appear via video conference.
Security was increased in and around the Bathinda court complex ahead of the actor's appearance.
The defamation case stems from the actor's retweet with her own comment on 73-year-old complainant, Mahinder Kaur of Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Punjab's Bathinda district.
The comment was made during the 2020-21 farmer protests against the now-repealed farm laws.
Ranaut, who wore a saree and was sporting sunglasses, reached the court complex around 2 pm.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, she asserted that she had made no comments against any individual.
"Whatever misunderstanding happened with the family of Mahinder (Kaur) ji, I gave a message to 'mata ji' to her husband about how she was the victim of a misunderstanding," she said.
Mahinder Kaur was not present in the court, but her husband was.
Ranaut said, "Never in my dreams could I imagine this… Every 'mata', be she from Punjab or Himachal, is respectable to me." Asked whether she acknowledged that she committed a mistake knowingly or unknowingly, she replied that if one looked at the case properly, there was nothing from her side.
"There was a retweet which was used as a meme. I have also spoken and discussed this with the husband of Mahinder ji," she said.
There were many women in that meme, and no comments were made against any individual, she asserted.
Ranaut, however, said she regretted the misunderstanding that arose from the post.
In a complaint filed in Bathinda in January 2021, Mahinder Kaur alleged that the BJP MP defamed her by identifying her wrongly as Bilkis Bano, an activist who hit the headlines during the 2020 Shaheen Bagh protest.
Mahinder Kaur said the actor made "false imputations and remarks" against her in the retweet by comparing her with "dadi", who was part of the Shaheen Bagh protest.
She said she had been a part of dharnas and demonstrations since the beginning of the farmers' protest against the now-repealed farm laws.
Despite her old age, she, along with other protesters, went to Delhi to participate in the agitation.
Mahinder Kaur said she had absolutely no connection with the woman from Shaheen Bagh who featured in Time magazine.
Ranaut moved the top court challenging an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which refused to quash the complaint against her.
"There are specific allegations against the petitioner, who is a celebrity, that false and defamatory imputations by her in the retweet have dented the respondent's reputation and lowered her in her own estimation, as also in the eyes of others. Therefore, filing of the complaint to vindicate her rights cannot be termed mala fide," the high court, said in its August 1 order, dismissing Ranaut's plea.
However, the top court, on September 12, told Ranaut that it was not a simple retweet and that the actor-politician "added spice" to what was existing.
Ranaut then withdrew the plea.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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