Magistrate calls for cop's progress report on probe in case against Ranaut, Chandel

MUMBAI: An Andheri magistrate court has called for the progress report of the police on an inquiry the court had directed the police to make over three months ago on actor Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel’s allegedly communal social media posts. The probe had been initiated upon a private complaint filed by a lawyer July last year before it. In end-October last year, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Andheri, while calling for the inquiry report had said, “Allegations are based on the comments of the accused on social media platforms. Evidence against the accused seems to be of electronic nature. Therefore, inquiry at hands of police is necessary to proceed against the proposed accused. Such inquiry will help to decide the roles of the accused.” Thereafter, on December 5 last year and January 5 this year, police had sought extension of time to file the report. On January 5, the magistrate had said that a last chance was being given to file the report. On Friday, however, when the report was to be filed, the police once again asked for time to file it. Advocate and complainant Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh said that he requested the court to issue summons to the accused directly as the police had failed to file the inquiry report despite the court’s last chance. -