The Bombay High Court has dismissed the petition filed by Maharashtra MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband, Ravi Rana, seeking to quash the FIR filed for allegedly assaulting the police officer who came to arrest the couple. The police action came after the couple threatened to demonstrate outside Matoshree – Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence in Mumbai – and recite the Hanuman Chalisa.
Dismissing the plea, the court said: “Such a declaration that a person would recite some religious verses either in the personal residence of another person or even at a public place is certainly firstly a breach of personal liberty of another person…”
“…Secondly, if a declaration is made that a particular religious verse will be recited on public streets, the state is justified in carrying apprehension that such act would result in disturbance to law and order,” the judges added.
A political whirlpool has developed in the state after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief and Uddhav Thackeray’s brother, Raj Thackeray, gave an ultimatum to the state to remove loudspeakers from mosques. Unless all such loudspeakers are removed by May 3, the MNS would play the Hanuman Chalisa to counter the azaan, Raj Thackeray had warned.
The row soon snowballed with the politician couple jumping on the wagon this Saturday, threatening protests outside Matoshree.
Although, they soon recalled the protest, citing PM Modi’s visit to the metropolis on Sunday, the two were arrested by the Mumbai Police late Saturday night and presented before the Bandra court on Sunday.
The court jailed the Ranas for 14 days, following which Navneet Rana was taken to Mumbai’s Byculla Jail and her husband to the Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai.
Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/hanuman-chalisa-row-no-relief-for-ravi-rana-wife-as-bombay-high-court-refuses-to-quash-fir-1941672-2022-04-25
