Bombay HC Junks Plea by Navneet & Ravi Rana To Quash FIR in Hanuman Chalisa Row

The FIR was filed against them for resisting arrest over the row to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the CM's house.

The Bombay High Court on Monday, 25 April, dismissed the petition of MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly resisting arrest over the row to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the Maharashtra chief minister's house.

(Photo: PTI)

The Bombay High Court on Monday, 25 April, dismissed the petition of MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly resisting arrest over the row to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the Maharashtra chief minister's house.

The police had filed a subsequent FIR for rioting.

According to ANI, the Bombay High Court stated,

"Since the second FIR is registered against petitioners in the case, the state government is desirous of initiating any action pursuant to the second FIR. The officers of state government shall issue 72-hours notice to petitioners before taking such action."

The matter is scheduled to be heard tomorrow.

What Happened?

The Ranas were booked under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, after they had announced their plan to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree.'

While they called off their plan, the Ranas were taken into custody by the police and produced before a magistrate's court in Mumbai on Sunday, 24 April.

The duo claimed that they were not under any kind of pressure or scared by the Maha Vikas Aghadi or the Shiv Sena, but were dropping their plans in honour of the PM's trip to Mumbai.

They applied for bail on 24 April, after being remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

(With inputs from ANI.)