Actor Kangana Ranaut, who is booked by Bandra Police along with her sister Rangoli Chandel on sedition charges, has recently moved a plea in the Bombay High Court seeking directions to the authorities to renew her passport to enable her to go abroad for the shooting of a film. The actor submitted in the HC that the passport authority has raised an objection to renew/reissue her passport. A division bench led by Justice Prasanna B Varale will hear the plea on Tuesday.
The interim application filed through advocate Rizwan Siddiquee last week stated that the first schedule of the shooting of upcoming Hindi movie ‘Dhakkad,’ in which Ranaut is playing the lead role, has been completed and the second schedule will commence in Hungary from June 15 to August 30.
The plea said that Ranaut’s passport is nearing expiry in September, 2021 and therefore had applied for its renewal to the Passport Authority of India. However, as per plea, the authority raised objections stating that the Bandra FIR filed against her is impediment to renewal.
“There are huge monetary investments made by production houses in booking such shooting locations, wherein the applicant is required to participate as an actress,” the plea said.
In last October, the Metropolitan Magistrate’s court at Bandra had ordered the police to investigate a complaint filed by Munawwar Ali Sayyed, a Bollywood casting director and fitness trainer, which referred to Ranaut’s and Chandel’s tweets and other statements allegedly defaming Bollywood film industry by claiming it to be ‘hub of nepotism’ and objectionable comments allegedly to create and spread ‘division and hatred between Hindu and Muslim communities’
On the direction of the court, the Bandra police registered an FIR against Ranaut and her sister under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc), 295A (deliberate acts hurting religious sentiments) and 124-A (sedition).
The present interim application filed by Ranaut has challenged the magistrate court order that initiated filing of FIR. Earlier this year, HC had continued interim relief granted to Ranaut and her sister from any coercive action in Bandra sedition case till further orders.
The plea filed by Ranaut has also sought from the court to confirm or declare that the magistrate order, which is challenged before another bench, would not compromise rights of petitioner to get her passport renewed.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/kangana-ranaut-moves-bombay-hc-against-authoritys-objection-to-renew-passport-7359084/
