MUMBAI: In a detailed reply opposing the anticipatory bail pleas of Union minister Narayan Rane (69) and his MLA son Nitesh (39), the police said that after their questioning at Malwani police station on March 5, the duo gave a false statement to the media that they had called up Union home minister Amit Shah and were allowed to go.
This, the police said, showed that the Ranes were putting pressure on the investigators and witnesses, and creating hurdles in the probe. “If their anticipatory bail plea is granted, they will not cooperate with the investigation,” the police said. The father-son duo has been booked for allegedly making defamatory and derogatory statements about the death of Disha Salian (28), talent manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
With the matter posted for hearing on Tuesday, the Dindoshi sessions court continued their interim protection from arrest until then. The court also allowed Salian’s mother’s plea to intervene and assist the prosecution.
Last week, the Ranes, through their advocate Satish Maneshinde, had moved anticipatory bail pleas claiming that they are innocent and have been wrongly implicated.
In its seven-page reply, the police submitted that the accused are representatives of the public and their claim that Salian was “gang-raped” has led to her parents fearing for their lives and that it could also cause a law-and-order issue. “Their baseless claims are causing damage to the reputation of Salian and her family,” the reply said.
The police also cited legal provisions relating to punishment for those who reveal the identity of rape victims. “If it is claimed that Salian was raped, they have committed an offence by revealing her identity in absence of permission [from the authorities or the family members]. They did not offer any explanation on that,” the reply said.
It added that despite being questioned for over four hours, the duo did not reveal any “evidence” they had or the source of such information. “On March 5, the accused claimed that they had evidence, but will not provide it to the police. So, their custody is needed to question them,” it added.
The police said that despite a press release issued on August 5, 2020, stating that anyone who has any information on Salian’s death should come forward, the Ranes did not. They added that the duo had not provided information to the CBI, despite claiming that they would only give it to them and not the Mumbai police.
In its reply, the police said that Salian’s mother had told them that her daughter had died on June 9, 2020, after jumping off a Malwani building in an intoxicated state after she suffered financial losses as a deal at work was cancelled. It added that the mother had told the police that due to the false and baseless claims, relatives and friends had been questioning Salian’s character. Cops said her parents have no complaints against anybody.
