High court's last warning to Rana couple who are often absent

Mumbai: While hearing a petition seeking exemption from the case registered by the police in the Hanuman Chalisa case, former MP and BJP leader Navneet Rana and MLA husband Ravi Rana were warned against seeking more dates and were told that otherwise the couple will be fined. The court gave one last chance and fixed the hearing on July 23.

After the petition was rejected by the Sessions Court, the couple appealed to the High Court. In the appeal, it was argued that the allegations against them were false and the case was filed too late.

In 2022, the police had registered a case against the couple under sections of obstructing a policeman from performing his duty and assault with force. Allegedly resisting arrest and obstructing the work of a policeman. The Rana couple insisted on reciting Hanuman Chalisa outside the Bandra residence of then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The police filed a case against both of them and filed a chargesheet and after spending a month in jail, both are out on bail.

Earlier, Navneet Rana had avoided attending the hearing citing several reasons including illness.

It is worth noting that when this matter happened, Navneet Rana was an independent MP in the Lok Sabha. However, in the recent Lok Sabha elections, he contested as a BJP candidate but lost.