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The FIR was filed against both of them for resisting arrest when the police went to their residence after they announced that they would chant Hanuman Chalisa outside the residence of Former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray
The Bombay High Court has deferred the hearing before the trial court against an independent MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Rana in the Hanuman Chalisa Case.
A single-judge bench of the high court, comprising Justice PD Naik, deferred the hearing before the trial court until February 2021.
The husband-wife duo has approached the Bombay High Court challenging the rejection of the discharge plea by the trial court in an FIR registered against them.
The FIR was filed against both of them for resisting arrest when the police went to their residence after they announced that they would chant Hanuman Chalisa outside the residence of Former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The duo filed an application before the Sessions Court seeking discharge, which came to be rejected, after which they approached the high court.
The high court has now deferred the hearing on framing of charges before the Sessions Judge RN Rokde.
In their revision application before the high court, they've contended that both of them are innocent and are being falsely implicated in the said offences for the wrongful gain of certain people.
The Ranas have also contended that the entire proceeding instituted against the applicants is laced with malice. The chargesheet in the present case has been registered against them to further cause harm politically.
In April 2022, the Bombay High Court refused to quash the FIR filed against them after observing that the high court found merit in the submissions of the State Government.
The Ranas were also booked under sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), Section 124A (Sedition) for chanting Hanuman Chalisa outside the residence of Former CM Uddhav Thackeray.
However, the Mumbai Police has not yet filed a chargesheet in that case.
The Special Sessions Court granted bail to the husband-wife duo in May 2022 in the case registered against them in relation to the Hanuman Chalisa row.
Case title: Navneet Rana & Anr vs State of Maharashtra & Anr
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