Bombay HC Grants Interim Protection To Kangana Ranaut, Rangoli Chandel

The Bombay high court on Tuesday granted interim protection to Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut and Rangoli Chandel in a case registered by Mumbai police over alleged communal tweets.

An FIR was filed against the two following orders from a magistrate's court in Bandra, Mumbai. The court directed the police to carry out an inquiry against the two sisters for allegedly "trying to create hatred and communal tension" through their Twitter posts.

Also Read: Kangana Ranaut And Rangoli Chandel Summoned By Mumbai Police

What You Should Know

• Kangana Ranaut and Rangoli Chandel have been granted interim protection.
• The sisters have missed three summons and have promised to attend the next on January 8.
• The bench expressed surprise over the inclusion of Section 124A in the FIR.

The complaint against the two was filed by casting director and fitness trainer Munawwar Ali. He said that through their social media posts Kangana and Rangoli have defamed the entire film industry.

The sisters approached the high court requesting to quash the FIR and the magistrate court orders. The magistrate court orders were passed on October 17.

Kangana Ranaut and Rangoli Chandel's Hearing

A division bench of Justice SS Shinde and MS Karnik granted Ranaut and Chandel the interim protection subject to the condition that both of them should appear before the investigating officer to record their statements in the case at Bandra Police on January 8 between 12 pm to 2 pm.

The bench said, "We are of the prima facie opinion that interim protection till the matter is heard at length deserves to be granted. The police shall not take any coercive action including arrest against the applicants (Ranaut and Chandel)."

The sisters have skipped three summons. After Ranaut and Chandel failed to appear on October 26 and 27 and on the second summon on November 9 and 10, the police had asked them to be present on November 22 and 23. Through their lawyer Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee they said that they were busy till November 15 with their brother's wedding in Himachal Pradesh. The judges Shinde and Karnik refused to accept Kangana Ranaut and Rangoli Chandel's argument. They argued that they skipped summons because they were busy with a wedding in the family.

Moreover, the bench expressed surprise while hearing the case at the fact that the offence of sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code was added in the FIR. Justice Shinde asked Mumbai Police's representative Senior Advocate Rizwan Merchant, "We understand other sections. But Section 124A? Are you treating citizens of country like this?"

Also Read: Who Is Priyanka Paul, The Young Artist Kangana Ranaut Is Feuding With On Twitter?

Sanskriti Tiwari is an intern with SheThePeople.TV.