Maharashtra: Navneet Rana, husband arrested on charges of sedition

MLA Ravi Rana and his wife MP Navneet Rana during a press conference at Khar, last Friday. Pic/Satej Shinde

Independent Member of Parliament from Amravati, Navneet Rana, and her husband, an MLA from Badnera constituency, have been arrested by the Khar police for creating enmity between two groups and on charges of sedition on Sunday. The law maker couple has been sent to judicial custody after the Bandra metropolitan magistrate court refused to grant custody to Mumbai police. The couple has filed a bail application, which will be heard on April 29.

The Ranas, who have been in Mumbai for the past few days, had threatened to chant the Hanuman Chalisa in front of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence, which had irked Shiv Sainiks. They gathered outside the couple's Khar residence since they arrived from Amravati.

The Mumbai police issued notice under section 149 of CrPC to the couple on Friday, but despite this speeches were made before the media. The police later booked them under section 124A (sedition) 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony). Despite invoking section 124A, the Khar police failed to secure their custody.

Advocate speak

Senior advocate Rizwan Merchant who represented the Ranas before the holiday court, said that the prosecution miserably failed to prove the case of sedition. "The police first filed an FIR under 153A and late in the night they filed another under section 124A. This is what we understood by reading the remand application which has nothing to prove sedition charges. When we asked defence advocate Pradeep Gharat to give the content from the remand application which invokes 124A, he failed to do so," Merchant said while speaking to the press outside Bandra court.

"He [Rana] has not made any statement which creates disaffection against the government. Chanting the Hanuman chalisa is not a crime, it is about praising lord Rama," Merchant added.

‘Law and order issue'

The public prosecutor who sought custody said that the couple is trying to create enmity between two groups, which can create a serious law and order situation in the city and state of Maharashtra. The police, in their remand application, said that some political parties have started an agitation against mosques for the removal of loud speakers which has already created tension and in such a situation they want to chant the Hanuman chalisa outside Matoshree, further vitiating the atmosphere. "Despite being served a notice, they gave inflammatory interviews to the media and tried to create a law and order problem," the police remand application reads.

After hearing the defence and prosecution, the court said police custody was not required and remanded the couple in judicial custody for 14 days.

The police have arrested six Shiv Sena workers for creating a ruckus outside the Rana residence.