Bathinda: The court has adjourned the hearing in the Kangana Ranaut case until January 5.

Punjab: A special MP-MLA court on Monday adjourned the hearing in the defamation case against BJP’s Mandi MP and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut till January 5, as the prosecution witnesses and the accused did not appear. The case was listed for cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses – complainant Mahinder Kaur, an elderly farmer from Bahadurgarh Jandian village here, and her relative Gurpreet Singh. The court was also scheduled to hear Kangana’s plea for permanent exemption from personal appearance. “Kangana did not appear in court on Monday, and her lawyer filed an application for exemption for the day, citing the ongoing winter session of the Lok Sabha, which was granted,” said advocate Raghubir Singh Beniwal.
“Mahinder Kaur could not appear due to her age and the cold weather. The court has directed that the names of all witnesses be provided to the court and the accused’s lawyer before the next hearing. The court has also directed Kangana to appear at the next hearing,” he added. The case stems from a tweet by Kangana in 2020 during the farmers’ protest, in which she shared a picture of Mahinder Kaur, mistakenly identifying her as Shaheen Bagh protester Bilkis Bano and alleging that such women were “available for Rs 100” to participate in the protests. Mahinder Kaur filed a defamation complaint against her in January 2021. At the previous hearing on December 4, Mahinder Kaur (82) appeared in court and recorded her statement. She later told the media that she would continue the legal battle till her last breath. Meanwhile, Kangana last appeared in court in person on October 27, when she was granted bail. On November 24, she appeared via video conferencing, during which charges were framed against her. On December 4, she sought exemption from personal appearance, citing the ongoing winter session of the Lok Sabha, which was granted.