New Delhi, May 9
The political war in Maharashtra, featuring Independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi on one hand and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Aghadi government on the other, is intensifying by the day. While Ranas met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi, the Mumbai police filed an application seeking the cancellation of their bail, following which a special court issued them a notice asking why a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) should not be issued against them as they have allegedly violated the conditions of the bail.
Navneet said Speaker Om Birla expressed regret over what happened with her and appointed a date for hearing before the Parliamentary Privileges Committee. She will record her statement before the Committee as the MP of Amravati and if charges are found to be true, action will be taken against the accused mentioned in the complaint, she said.
“I apprised him about what happened with me–how I was arrested and treated in jail, on whose behest false charges were slapped and how the Mumbai police commissioner directed action against me. Whatever complaint I had, a date has been selected when I will be asked to give my complaint both in a written and oral format before the Privilege (Committee),” she was quoted as saying.
Navneet said she has also sought time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. “We are fighting legally. No BMC official came to our house till we were there. The moment we left for Delhi they came to our house for measurements. I do not mind them taking measurements, I took permission for the construction. If any action needs to be taken, it should be against BMC officers who gave permission,” said Navneet.
According to the fresh application filed by the police, “The accused persons (Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana) have given interviews to media since their release and hence, flouted the condition imposed by the special court while granting them bail.”
“We are seeking for the bail to be cancelled and a warrant to be issued to the accused and they be taken in custody forthwith” special public prosecutor Pradip Gharat told the court. The court will hear the matter further on May 18.
Navneet and Ravi were arrested by the Mumbai Police on April 23 after they announced to recite ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside Uddhav’s residence ‘Matoshree’ in Bandra. This angered Shiv Sena workers, leading to tension in Mumbai and their arrest. They were booked on charges of sedition and promoting enmity between different groups. The special court had on May 4 granted bail to the couple and imposed some conditions on them, including not to indulge in a similar offence and not to speak to the media.
