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A Mumbai Court today adjourned the hearing in the bail plea moved by Member of Parliament Navneet Rana & MLA Ravi Rana in sedition case pertaining to the Hanuman Chalisa row and ordered that the same will be heard tomorrow at 3 pm. 

The development took place upon the request of Advocate Rizwan Merchant, Ranas' counsel. However, the Special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat objected to the same and insisted that the matter should be heard today. 

SPP apprised the court that he will be unable to appear tomorrow as he is to appear before the Alibaug Court in Arnab Goswami's matter pertaining to the suicide of Anvay Naik. To this, Merchant said that if SPP wants to argue the matter today then he should make his submissions and finish all the arguments today itself. 

SPP thereafter informed the court that State's reply, as sought earlier, was filed today. Court, therefore, posted the matter tomorrow for further hearing. 

Earlier, on April 26, the Sessions Court, denying immediate relief to the jailed couple, had directed the SPP to file counter affidavit in the bail plea moved by them. 

Also, a day earlier, the Bombay High Court had refused to quash the FIR filed against Ranas. A bench of Justices PB Varale and SM Modak while stating that it was unable accept submissions of their Counsel, Mr. Merchant, added that it did in fact find merit in submissions of State Government. 

The bench had further noted that a "declaration that a person would recite religious verses, either in personal residences of another or even at a public place is certainly a breach of personal liberty of another person" and "that the state government was justified in apprehending that reciting of religious verse on street would lead to disturbance in law and order".

Member of Parliament Navneet Rana & MLA Ravi Rana had approached the Mumbai Court seeking bail in the FIR(s) against them for announcing that they will chant Hanuman Chalisa, a devotional hymn for Hindu God, Lord Hanuman outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence. The couple has been charged with Sedition, ANI reported.

According to the FIR, the couple was 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 public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 135 of the Mumbai Police Act (violation of prohibitory orders of police). Later, the police also added section 124-A (sedition) against them.

Initially, on April 25, the Mumbai court had remanded the Ranas to 14-day judicial custody, a day after they were arrested in connection with their announcement. The Mumbai Sessions Court a day after, also denied immediate relief to the couple and directed the Mumbai Police to file response on couple's bail plea by April 29 (today).