The Mumbai Police on Friday, 29 April, opposed the bail pleas of MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana in the sedition case against them for saying that they planned to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray's private residence.
"However innocent these pleadings may look like, the respondent says that these submissions are most Hippocratic since the plan to read Hanuman Chalisa at the private residence of the Chief Minister at Matoshree bungalow is a big plot to create a challenge to the law and order situation," the Mumbai Police said, as per India Today. Threatening To Read Text Without Permission Amounts to Trespassing: Police
This comes after the couple moved their bail pleas in a special court, asking for an early hearing on the matter.
Threatening To Read Text Without Permission Amounts to Trespassing: Police
The police also said that reading a holy text at someone's private residence without prior permission from the homeowner was a case of trespassing.
"One cannot give a threat of a challenge to the government that he or she wants to act against the procedure established by law even when the same is under the guise or veil of chanting of a religious book," they said.
The police added that the statements given by the couple were not within reasonable limits of the right to freedom of expression, and were thus liable to be treated as sedition under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 124A.
'BJP Leaders Deprived of Power Criticising Sena'
The police further said that leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who were deprived of power, were strongly opposing the administrative policies of the Maharashtra government and criticising the Shiv Sena for their stand on Hindutva.
"Therefore, the opposite parties and the political opponents of the Shiv Sena have clashes on the point of religion. It is the contention of some of the witnesses that some other political parties and independent political leaders are raising the issues and alleging that the chief minister of Maharashtra is against Hindutva and also alleging that he is sponsoring the cause of another religion," the police said, as per India Today.
They added that the words spoken by the couple were "clearly with an intention to bring hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the government." The police also said that the couple meant to instigate citizens, raise discontent among them against the government, and promote feelings of hostility between different classes.
The couple was arrested by the police on 23 April and moved to two separate prisons. While Navneet was moved to the Byculla jail, Ravi was moved to the Taloja jail.
The Bombay High Court on 25 April dismissed the couple's petition for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly resisting arrest over the row to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside CM Thackeray's residence.
(With inputs from India Today.)
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