New Delhi: The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a petition of MP and MLA Ravi Rana and Navneet Rana for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly resisting arrest over the row to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the Maharashtra CM's residence.
The couple had moved toward the HC today looking for the FIR enlisted against them by the Khar police in the city on the charge of deterring a cop from discharging her official duties to be quashed.
A bench of Justices PB Varale and SM Modak, in any case, said that it found no merit in the plea.
The Khar police enlisted two FIRs against the couple after they declared that Hanuman Chalisa will be recited outside Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's home in Mumbai.
On April 23, the police registered the primary FIR on the charge of promoting enmity between various religions. It hence added the charge of sedition to this FIR. On April 24, the Khar police enrolled a second FIR against the Ranas under section 353 of the IPC for discouraging a local official from releasing obligation.
The alleged offence under section 353 had been committed from 5.15 pm to 6 pm, said the petition filed by advocate Rizwan Merchant.
"Admittedly, the petitioners were in police custody from 5 pm. However, the information was received to the police station after a delay of three hours, which is at 8 pm. That, as a matter of record, the Ranas were already under arrest at the time when the alleged offence is said to have taken place. The Ranas thus submit that if there was any truth in the allegations made by the investigating agency, the same would have been recorded prior in point of time. The inordinate delay of three hours stands testimony to the foul play of the investigating agency."
The second FIR, according to the couple, is "a strategic and tactical FIR with the sole purpose of pressurising the Ranas as a result of a vengeful political vendetta."
(With PTI inputs)