SC refuses to entertain plea to censor Kangana posts

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking censorship of actress Kangana Ranaut’s all future statements on social media, clubbing multiple FIRs lodged against her for remarks against the Sikh community and investigation by Mumbai police.

It asked the petitioner either to ignore the utterances made by her or avail remedy under law.

The top court also said that the petitioner, a member of the Sikh Community, as a public cannot seek clubbing of multiple FIRs, and only the accused or informant can seek such remedy.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Bela Trivedi told petitioner Sardar Charanjeet Singh Chanderpal, an advocate, appearing in person that remedy which he was seeking cannot be granted under Article 32 petition and he has to pursue relief under the criminal law. “There are two possible solutions. Either you ignore the utterances made by her or avail remedy under law. We respect the community. We respect your faith…

By speaking these utterances you are doing more disservice to the cause. Don’t try to prejudice the mind of the court.



Don’t politicise it. We have read these utterances in your file. You don’t need to speak up”, the bench told Chanderpal, when he tried to read the remarks which Ranaut had made on social media.   Chanderpal said that he has filed an intervention application in the FIR quashing petition of Ranaut and is pursuing it.

The bench then ordered, “As regards to first relief is concerned, the petitioner-in-person states that he has already adopted proceedings for the purpose of availing of his remedies in accordance with law by instituting a private complaint. In view of the invocation of the remedy by the petitioner in person, we, therefore, request this court to treat the petition in so far prayer A (censoring social media posts) is concerned as being disposed of without being expressed any opinion by this court at the present stage”.   

Chanderpal said that the actress is going on and on with her “outrageous” and “defamatory” statements that “Sikh Farmers were Khalistani Terrorists” and tried to portray the community as “anti-national”.