Updated: December 17, 2020 8:30:03 pm
Actor Kangana Ranaut. (File photo)
The Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Thursday that a petition seeking to have Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut’s Twitter account permanently suspended could not be upheld.
The reparations requested by petitioner Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh were “vague” and the statement should be dismissed, government attorney YP Yagnik said.
Deshmukh, a city-based lawyer, said in his petition for a criminal order that Twitter should be ordered to permanently suspend or disable Ranaut’s account to stop the “spread of hate in the country.”
Twitter should also be geared towards following the country’s guidelines and laws to avoid “misuse” of its platform, the petitioner said.
He cited several controversial tweets from Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel that allegedly incited hatred against communities and the state machine.
These tweets included the one that led to the suspension of Chandel’s account by Twitter India for targeting a community, and also Ranaut’s tweet comparing Mumbai to “Pak-occupied Kashmir.”
Discussing before a bench division of judges SS Shinde and MS Karnik on Thursday, Deshmukh said that he had written to the police and Maharashtra authorities in the past seeking action against Ranaut and his sister.
“She (Ranaut) has several pending FIRs against her. In the past, he has abused the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput for his own gain and now he is doing it with the protest of farmers as well, ”said Deshmukh.
But the judges sought to know if the statement was a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
When Deshmukh said no, the court said: “So how can we act in a criminal case on the basis of claims made by a third party, who is in no way personally affected? Is this a PIL? If not, then you will have to show him the personal injury, how it is affecting him. “
Government attorney Yagnik argued that the statement did not indicate how the tweets flagged by the petitioner affected the general public.
“This is a very vague request. Twitter is an international body. You can’t search for vague reliefs like these. This allegation cannot be upheld and must be dropped, ”Yagnik said.
Deshmukh argued that Ranaut had been spreading “continuous hatred” in the country.
The HC, however, reiterated that in a criminal case, the court cannot act at the request of a third party.
He ordered Deshmukh to “reflect” on whether the issue should be raised through a PIL or whether the request for a court order should continue and postponed the matter until December 21.
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