Hanuman Chalisa row: Mumbai police file chargesheet against Rana couple for obstructing police on duty

The Khar police on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against MP Navneet Rana and her husband and MLA Ravi Rana in one of the two cases lodged against them in the incident of them threatening to read the Hanuman Chalisa outside chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s official residence.

The police have charged them under IPC provisions 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from performing duty) and Sec 34 (common intention). The chargesheet in the second FIR where they had been booked for sedition, is yet to be filed. The chargesheet was filed at a magistrate court in Borivali and will be conducted by a sessions court because of the offence of Sec 353 IPC, being triable by a sessions court.

Arrested on April 23 in the sedition case, the couple had spent some days in custody before being granted bail by a special court. The court has said in its observations that while their behaviour may be ‘blameworthy’ the mere expression of derogatory or objectionable words is not sufficient to invoke the charge of sedition. The court had said that they had “crossed the lines of freedom of speech and expression” and that political leaders have an important role to play in maintaining peace and tranquillity.

The couple had said in their defence claiming bail that they had no intention to cause public disorder. The prosecution had claimed that they had intention to disturb the peace and order so as to lead to the dissolution of the state government.