BJP MP and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut appeared today in Bathinda court for the hearing of a defamation case filed by Bibi Mahinder Kaur and tendered an apology.
SNPNEWS.IN News (Gurmail Kamboj): Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi BJP MP and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, who often stays in the news more for her controversial statements than her films, is once again in the spotlight. In 2020, when the farmers’ protest was underway in Delhi against the central government’s agricultural laws, 81-year-old Bibi Mohinder Kaur (resident of Bahadurgarh Jandian village, Bathinda) participated in the movement. A photo of her waving the farmers’ union flag went viral.
On 16 December 2020, Kangana Ranaut targeted the 81-year-old elderly farmer Bibi Mohinder Kaur from Bathinda, Punjab, on social media platform Twitter (now X). Using offensive language, she wrongly linked Bibi Mohinder Kaur’s photo to Bilkis Bano (“Shaheen Bagh Dadi”), who was part of the 2019 anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh. She wrote: “Haha ha ha This is the same dadi ji who was selected as the most powerful Indian woman in Time Magazine… and is available for 100 rupees ” Through this alleged tweet, Kangana implied that women were being paid to participate in protests.
The tweet faced widespread condemnation from Diljit Dosanjh to the general public. Following the backlash, Kangana posted another tweet saying: “If you misunderstood it, I’ll delete it.” Seeing the controversy escalate, the tweet was removed from her (X) account.
Read It: Kangana Ranaut, Sparked Controversy With A Now-deleted Post On X On May 15, 2025
On 4 January 2021, Bibi Mohinder Kaur filed a case against Kangana under Sections 499 and 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bathinda. She claimed that Kangana’s comments damaged her dignity and social standing.
On 11 January, during the first hearing, the Duty Magistrate conducted the proceedings and considered issuing a notice to Kangana.
After 13 months, on 22 February 2022, during the hearing of Bibi Mohinder Kaur’s case, the Bathinda court issued summons to Kangana to appear on 19 April. Kangana applied to appear via video conferencing, but the court rejected it and ordered personal appearance.
On 11 August 2025, Bibi Mohinder Kaur’s husband appeared in court. Meanwhile, Kangana approached the High Court seeking relief, but her plea was rejected. The High Court dismissed her lawyer’s appeal to quash the case.
Kangana also petitioned the Supreme Court to allow appearance via video conferencing, but the Hon’ble Supreme Court rejected it and ordered her to appear in person at the Bathinda court.
Today (27 October 2025), Kangana appeared in the court of Judicial Magistrate Lakhbir Singh under heavy security arrangements along with her lawyer. During the hearing, she personally apologized to Bibi Mohinder Kaur and her family for her tweet. She claimed that the alleged comments were made unintentionally and that she had no intention to hurt anyone. She further stated that it was a retweet.
Bibi Mohinder Kaur did not appear in court; her husband did. He said the family would decide after internal discussion and consultation with farmers’ unions on the next steps.
The next hearing is scheduled for 24 November. The family will clarify their stance. If the family remains dissatisfied with Kangana’s apology, the court may proceed against her, which could result in up to 2 years imprisonment and/or a fine.