The judge refused to accept Kangana Ranaut and her sister’s argument that they were busy with a wedding.
New Delhi:
Actress Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel will not be arrested for now, the Bombay High Court said today, ordering them to appear before Mumbai police on January 8 in a case brought against them by provocative posts on social media.
The High Court, hearing the sisters’ request to cancel the case, said they must comply with the subpoenas and gave them protection against arrest. But the court also questioned the sedition charges against him.
“We are of the prima facie opinion that provisional protection until the matter is heard in depth deserves to be granted. The police will not take any enforcement action, including arresting the applicants (Ranaut and Chandel),” the court said.
The judges refused to accept Kangana Ranaut and her sister’s argument that they skipped the calls because they were busy with a family wedding.
“We could not come because a wedding was taking place. That is why he has sent the statements,” argued his lawyer.
The judges responded, “Whatever it is, you have to comply with the subpoena.”
The actor assured the court that she and her sister would record their statements on January 8.
The Mumbai police lawyer asked: “Come as soon as possible if you want protection. What’s so special about you that you have to wait until January?”
However, the police faced difficult questions. On the charges of sedition brought against Kangana Ranaut for his charges, one of the judges asked: “Are you treating the citizens of the country like this? 124A?”
The sisters have been accused by the police in a First Informational Report of making objectionable comments on social media with the aim of provoking community tension. The charges include sedition, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion and race, and hurting religious sentiment.
Casting director and fitness trainer Munawwar Ali Sayyed filed a complaint against the sisters for their posts on Twitter.
A metropolitan magistrates court in Mumbai’s Bandra had ordered the police to investigate the complaint.
Ms. Ranaut and her sister missed three citations. After they failed to appear on October 26 and 27 and November 9 and 10, the police had asked them to come yesterday and today. They had said through their lawyer that they were busy with their brother’s wedding in Himachal Pradesh until November 15.
Kangana Ranaut has been in the midst of controversies this year due to a nasty confrontation with the Mumbai police and the Maharashtra government over their criticism of the Sushant Singh Rajput investigation. Her comments about feeling unsafe in Mumbai and comparing the city to PoK led to an escalation in which she accused the Mumbai civic body of targeting her with demolitions at her office.
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