Hanuman Chalisa row: HC dismisses Rana couple's plea seeking cancellation of FIR

A bench of Justices PB Varale and SM Modak said it found no merit in the plea. The high court, however, directed the Maharashtra Police to provide a notice of 72 hours to the Rana couple before arresting them.

The Bombay high court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by Maharashtra MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana seeking cancellation of an FIR registered against them in connection with the call for chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa outside chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s residence.

Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana were arrested on Saturday, hours after calling off plans to recite the Hanuman Chalisa in front of 'Matoshree', the residence of the Maharashtra chief minister.(Vijay Bate)

A bench of Justices PB Varale and SM Modak said it found no merit in the plea.

The high court, however, directed the Maharashtra Police to provide a notice of 72 hours to the Rana couple before arresting them.

Earlier in the day, the couple had moved the high court to quash a second FIR registered against them on Sunday under IPC Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) at Khar police station in Mumbai.

The first FIR against the Rana couple was registered on Saturday on the charge of promoting enmity between different religions and was subsequently charged with sedition.

They were arrested on Saturday, hours after calling off plans to recite the Hanuman Chalisa in front of 'Matoshree', the residence of the Maharashtra chief minister.

On Sunday, a Mumbai court remanded them in 14-day judicial custody. Navneet Rana, the Lok Sabha MP from Amravati is lodged at the Byculla jail, while Ravi Rana was first lodged at the Arthur Road jail but later shifted to Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai.

Their arrest triggered a war of words in Maharashtra between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Shiv Sena.

On Sunday, Navneet Rana wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stating her arrest by the Mumbai Police was illegal.

Alleging inhuman treatment in police custody, she also demanded strict action against police commissioner Sanjay Pandey.