Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeEntertainmentNo arrest for Kangana momentarily in sedition case, HC gives interim protection

No arrest for Kangana momentarily in sedition case, HC gives interim protection

In an order passed by the High Court of Mumbai, sisters Kangana Ranaut and Rangoli Chandel will be protected against arrest until the hearing completes. The court, while directing them to appear before the police slated on 8th January, was attending to the sisters’ plea to dismiss an active case against them.

The actor and her sister were slammed with grave sedition charges over their provocative posts allegedly aimed at defaming the Maharashtra government and law-protecting officials, the police.

Though the court gave them the liberty from arrests till the next hearing, it raised objections over the applicants’ absence in all summons while saying that they need to honour summons.

The top body of the state also questioned the police regarding charges of section 124A filed against them. The bench, consisting of Justices S S Shinde and MS Karnik through a video-conference, asked the public prosecutor Deepak Thakre as to why a serious charge as 124A of the IPC was lodged in the Ranaut case.

“Please conduct a workshop for your officers,” said the bench referring to a brush-up of the knowledge required in filing cases based on different law sections.

The court iterated that applicants “deserve” to get interim protection until the case is heard fully and went ahead to order the police against arresting the sisters, Kangana and Rangoli.

However, the bench rejected the sisters’ reason for absence in which they said that they did not appear before the police for recording statements as they were “busy with their brother’s wedding”.

Their lawyer presented the argument on behalf of his clients and said, “We could not come because a wedding was on. That is why she has sent the statements.”

The judges weren’t willing to take it as an excuse as it said, “Whatever it is, you have to honour the summons.”

Kangana, however, promised to appear before the police on January 8th along with her sister.

The lawyer representing the Mumbai police took a dig at the sisters regarding the special treatment being offered to them and the almost 2 months’ time provided, “Let them come ASAP if they want protection. What is so special about them that they should wait till January?”

Nevertheless, the police too were answerable to the court’s harsh questions on sedition charges slammed on the actor. As such, Justice Shinde asked, “If anyone doesn’t fall in line with the government will (section 124A) be attracted? It has become routine that IPC section 124A (sedition) is added in complaints? For what? Are you treating citizens of the country like this? 124A?”

In a First Information Report (FIR), the police held Kangana Ranaut and her sister guilty for posting objectionable content on social media that was directed to give birth to communal problems. The charges slapped on the duo were sedition, promotion of enmity between different communities on the basis of religion, caste, race, etc., and act of hurting religious feelings.

Bandra’s metropolitan magistrate had ordered the police to investigate the criminal complaint charges of Munawwar Ali Sayyed, a casting director and fitness trainer, on the sisters. He had alleged that their comments and posts held potential to fuel communal tensions as the sisters intended to. Kangana termed the allegations as “absolutely vague and baseless”

The informant’s lawyer, Advocate Rizwan Merchant, presented to the bench that “atleast until the matter is resolved”, the sisters “shouldn’t be allowed to post content on social media regarding the FIR.” Rizwan Siddiqi, Kangana’s lawyer, agreed to it and the HC accepted Siddiqi’s statement.

The court had disapproved Kangana and her sister’s behavior of not appearing for any of the three summons scheduled earlier. The police had told to summon on 23th and 24th November after they remained absent for the summons of 26th and 27th October and 9th and 10th November. The duo told the police through Siddiqi about their brother’s wedding that will stretch till November 15th in Himachal Pradesh.

Kangana Ranaut has been making headlines since her involvement and ugly criticism of the Maharashtra government and police on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case and following investigation. She had voiced that she felt “unsafe in Mumbai” and compared the Maharashtra capital to the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). These comments left her in the middle of a controversy after which she accused the government and cops of getting back at her by demolishing her office in the city.