Bombay High Court Allows Kangana Ranaut to Withdraw Plea in 2021 Didda Film FIR Case

Bombay High Court has permitted actor Kangana Ranaut to withdraw her plea seeking the quashing of a 2021 First Information Report (FIR) filed against her in connection with a proposed film based on Queen Didda.

The FIR was registered at Khar police station in Mumbai following a complaint by author Ashish Kaul, who claims exclusive copyright over the life story of Didda, the princess of Lohar (Poonch) and queen of Kashmir. Kaul is the author of a book translated into Hindi as Kashmir Ki Yodhha Rani Didda.

According to the complaint, Kaul had allegedly sent an email to Ranaut detailing the storyline of his book. He later claimed that elements of the narrative were used without his consent when the actor announced her film project titled Manikarnika Returns: The Legend of Didda. The police subsequently registered an FIR and filed a chargesheet in the case.

Kaul initially approached a Magistrate court, which directed the registration of the FIR. The matter has since been pending before the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

During the recent hearing, counsel representing Kaul pointed out that Ranaut had earlier filed a similar petition in 2021 seeking to quash the FIR, and that petition had already been partly heard. It was argued that the fresh plea contained identical prayers without formally withdrawing the earlier petition.

Ranaut’s defence has maintained that the email allegedly sent by Kaul was unsolicited and remained unacknowledged. She has also stated that the inspiration for the film was drawn from historical facts and material available in the public domain, rather than from any specific copyrighted work.

The actor had announced the film project in January 2021 via social media, describing it as a follow-up to her earlier historical film. However, following legal notices issued by Kaul, the project did not move forward.

With the High Court now permitting withdrawal of the plea, the legal proceedings in the Magistrate court are expected to continue. The case highlights ongoing disputes around intellectual property rights in the film industry, especially when historical figures and public domain narratives intersect with claims of exclusive authorship.

The development marks the latest chapter in the legal battle surrounding the proposed Didda-based film, while the core copyright dispute remains under judicial consideration.