Won’t arrest Rane, Maha govt tells HC

The Maharashtra government told the Bombay high court on Wednesday that it would not take any “coercive action” against Union minister Narayan Rane in a first information report (FIR) registered in Nashik for saying he wanted to slap chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, even as a local court which granted the central minister bail said the arrest was “justified” but his custodial interrogation was not necessary.

The government’s assurance came a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was arrested in a case registered against him at Mahad in Raigad district over the remark.

Rane, who holds the micro, small and medium enterprises portfolio, is the first sitting central minister to be arrested in two decades, since Murasoli Maran and TR Baalu were picked up in an infamous midnight raid in Chennai by the Tamil Nadu Police in 2001.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was arrested in Golavali in Ratnagiri district on Tuesday, where he was travelling as part of the Jan Ashirwad rallies newly inducted Union ministers are addressing

Aacross the country.

On Monday, during his rally, Rane had said, “It is shameful that the chief minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to enquire about the count of years of independence during his (August 15) speech. Had I been there, I would have given (him) a tight slap.”

The statement sparked off angry protests by Shiv Sena workers across the state and FIRS were filed against Rane at Mahad, Nashik, Thane and Pune, setting up another political faceoff between the ruling threeparty alliance and the BJP.

The Bombay high court on Wednesday heard Rane’s plea seeking to quash the FIR registered against him in Nashik and all other cases that might be lodged in future. Rane also sought interim protection from arrest.

Nashik Police had issued a notice directing him to remain present before the investigation officer at 12 pm on September 2.

Senior counsel Amit Desai, appearing for the state, told the division bench of justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar that no coercive action (such as arrest)