The Special MP-MLA court in Bathinda on Wednesday proceeded with the recording of evidence in a criminal defamation case against BJP MP from Mandi and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, with one of the prosecution witnesses undergoing cross-examination.
Kangana joined the proceedings through video conferencing, having been granted exemption from personal appearance.
Advocate RS Behniwal, counsel for the complainant, elderly farmer Mahinder Kaur, submitted that two witnesses – Surjit Singh (a farmer leader) and Jasvir Singh (a resident of complainant’s village) – were present before the court.
Jasvir Singh, whose examination-in-chief had been recorded earlier, was cross-examined during the hearing. The examination of the other witness Surjit Singh could not be taken up and has been deferred to the next date of hearing, now fixed for April 7.
In a related development, the court also took up an application concerning the surrender of Kangana’s passport. Her counsel sought time to advance arguments on the plea, and the matter has been adjourned for consideration on the next date of hearing.
The case pertains to a 2020 tweet in which Ranaut allegedly misidentified Mahinder Kaur, a resident of Bahadurgarh Jandian village in Bathinda, as Bilkis Bano, a protester at the Shaheen Bagh agitation, and further alleged that such women were “available for Rs 100” to participate in protests.
The remarks triggered widespread outrage, following which Mahinder Kaur filed a criminal defamation complaint in January 2021