Hanuman Chalisa Row: Maharashtra Court Issues Arrest Warrants Against MP Navneet Rana, Husband MLA Ravi
A sessions court in Maharashtra issued bailable warrants against MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana after they failed to appear during the hearing on the Hanuman Chalisa case.
A sessions court in Maharashtra on Thursday issued bailable arrest warrants against MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana after they failed to appear during the hearing on the Hanuman Chalisa case.
Amravati MP Naveet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana were arrested from their Khar residence Mumbai in April for allegedly trying to disturb religious peace and promoting religious enmity. They said they would recite Hanuman Chalisa outside erstwhile CM Uddhav Thackeray's home, Matoshree, to "remind Shiv Sena of Hindutva principles". They later cancelled the event.
The couple was booked under the Indian Penal Code section 153 (A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), and section 135 of the Mumbai Police Act (violation of prohibitory orders of police).
In a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla Navneet later said that her decision to chant Hanuman Chalisa in front of Thackeray’s private residence was not against the CM. “In fact, I had invited the Chief Minister to join me in chanting the Hanuman Chalisa,” she wrote further.
She alleged that under Uddhav Thackeray, the Shiv Sena has “completely strayed from its avowed Hindutva principles” so that it could form a coalition with Congress and NCP.
The couple was released in May after spending about two weeks in jail.
The couple in July recited Hanuman Chalisa in front of the Amravati residence of Umesh Kolhe, who was killed on June 21 allegedly for social media messages in support of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma. Navneet Rana said that the killers of Umesh Kolhe should be hanged in public so that no one would dare to repeat such a crime in the country. Nupur Sharma was suspended from BJP for her remarks on Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate.
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