Slap remark: HC relief for Rane

In a reprieve for Union minister Narayan Rane, the Bombay High Court on Friday restrained the police from arresting or taking coercive steps against the BJP leader for two weeks.

A division bench of justices PB Varale and SM Modak granted interim relief to Rane after the government said that the police were not willing to make a statement of not taking coercive steps against the minister.

The HC was hearing a petition filed by Rane seeking quashing of the FIR filed against him at Dhule for making objectionable remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at a press conference last August.

Senior advocate Satish Maneshinde and advocate Aniket Nikam, appearing for Rane, then sought interim protection for the minister till the hearing in the petition. Maneshinde had informed the court on Thursday that in another petition filed by Rane seeking quashing of the FIR filed against the minister at Nashik, based on the same remarks, the police had said that they will not take coercive steps against the minister. He then sought clubbing of the petitions seeking quashing of the two separate FIRs.

The HC had asked police whether it was willing to make similar statements in the present petitions as well.

Additional public prosecutor Jayesh Yagnik told the HC that the police is not willing to make the statement that they will not arrest Rane and requested the court to pass appropriate orders.

While granting interim relief to Rane, HC said: “This is an interim protection. In the meanwhile, if you (Rane) apprehend arrest, you can seek appropriate legal remedies.”

Six FIRs have been filed so far against Rane at Mahad, Nashik, Pune, Thane, Jalgaon and Ahmednagar over his remark that he would have slapped Thackeray over the latter’s ignorance of the year of India’s independence.