A Delhi court on Wednesday sought an action-taken report from the Delhi Police over a case filed against actor Kangana Ranaut by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Manjinder Singh Sirsa over her tweets regarding the farmers’ protest
Metropolitan Magistrate Amardeep Kaur directed the police to file status report and slated the matter for further hearing on April 24.
Sirsa filed a plea under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking action against Ranaut saying the social media posts of the actor intended to outrage religious sentiments.
The plea filed through Advocates Raj Kamal, Aseem Athwal and Kartawya Batra further stated that Ranaut by publishing the said tweet has attempted to misuse the huge social media following for oblique motives and vested interest for political mileage by defaming the peaceful protest and agitation by the farmers thereby causing an atmosphere of communal disharmony.
“…such an act of the Respondent No. 2 (Kangana Ranaut) is meant to create a divide in the society and is a clear example of a “Hate Speech/Tweet” that needs to be addressed and explained before the fake, derogatory and imaginary tweet/ retweet on social media which may further cause prejudice to the farmers in their peaceful agitation and protest as ordained under the constitutional rights,” the plea said.
The plea said that Ranaut’s tweets targeting the peacefully protesting farmers and labeling them as “Khalistani terrorists”
and “Biryani Gang” has maligned and defamed the image of farmers in India before the whole world.
“…the Respondent No. 2 has not expressed any apology or clarification! regarding the abovementioned tweet published by her on her twitter handle and has even failed to deny the said statement and unfortunately it has been read over by millions of people, not only in India, but worldwide,” it said.
“From the above, it is clear that the Respondent No. 2 by publishing the abovementioned “Hate Tweets” has committed offences under section 153A, 153B, 295A and 505(1)(b) of the IPC r/w section 66 of the I.T. Act, causing a widespread distress, animosity, and communal discord against a particular community of the society,” the plea said.