Himachal Pradesh Police have filed an FIR against BJP MP Kangana Ranaut regarding her social media posts on the Gandhi family, invoking charges of promoting enmity and public mischief under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 legal provisions.
Himachal Pradesh Police have registered an FIR against Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament (MP) from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, over her alleged objectionable social media posts concerning the Gandhi family, including remarks about Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the deaths of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and leader Sanjay Gandhi. The case has been registered under Sections 196, 353 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Confirming the development, Shimla Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Singh said the police had registered a complaint in the matter under the aforementioned provisions of the BNS.
The complaint was submitted by Shimla resident Captain Atul Sharma through email to the Director General of Police (DGP), Himachal Pradesh, on November 12. Copies were also forwarded to senior officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Cyber Crime wing, seeking a detailed investigation into the alleged objectionable content and its digital origin. The complainant raised objections to a series of posts published on November 10 from Ranaut’s verified X account (@KanganaTeam), accompanying an archival video featuring members of the Gandhi family.
According to the complaint, the posts allegedly contained insinuations linking the deaths of Indira, Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi, with the subsequent political rise of Sonia Gandhi. The complainant particularly objected to the alleged description of Sonia Gandhi as a “mysterious foreign national” and the manner in which the historical events were presented alongside one another. Quoting one of the passages cited in his complaint, Sharma alleged that the post stated: “Mother-in-law and husband were also killed one after the other. Leaving mysterious foreigner Sonia Gandhi as the head of government, wow!! How convenient!!”
The complaint also objected to the alleged remarks concerning Maneka Gandhi’s expulsion from the family residence following the death of Sanjay Gandhi. Sharma contended that the statements went beyond legitimate political criticism and historical commentary. He alleged that such insinuations, particularly when circulated through the social media account of an elected public representative with a substantial following, could potentially promote hostility, disturb public harmony and cause public mischief.
The complainant invoked Section 196 of the BNS, which deals with promoting enmity between different groups and acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony; Section 353, concerning statements and circulation of false information that may cause public mischief; and Section 356, which deals with defamation. The complaint further argued that the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution is subject to reasonable restrictions and does not provide blanket protection to statements that may attract criminal liability under applicable laws.
Citing Supreme Court judgments, including Lalita Kumari and Amish Devgan, Sharma urged the police to undertake an impartial investigation and examine the contents of the posts in the light of the relevant provisions of the BNS and other applicable laws. He also sought the preservation of electronic evidence by the Cyber Crime wing, including metadata, social media platform records, the original video footage and other digital material associated with the publication, in accordance with the provisions of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. The complainant further requested an evidence-based and time-bound investigation, maintaining that the proceedings should remain independent of the political position and public stature of the person named in the complaint. The development comes amid a controversy over Ranaut’s social media remarks concerning the Gandhi family. There was no immediate response from the Mandi MP regarding the complaint. (ANI)