MUMBAI: The state government on Wednesday assured the Bombay high court that it will not take any coercive steps till September 17 against Union cabinet minister Narayan Rane in connection with the FIR registered against him at Nashik over his “slap” remark against chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The state’s special senior counsel Amit Desai made the statement before a bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar after the HC granted Rane leave to amend a freshly filed quashing petition and to bring on record all the FIRs filed against him, while adjourning the hearing till September 17.
Desai said Rane be asked not to make any similar statements in the meantime. Rane’s counsel Satish Maneshinde and Aniket Nikam, who were seeking interim relief against any coercive action in the case, opposed, saying it is matter of his freedom of speech. “I can’t make any statements that he (Rane) will not utter anything,” said Maneshinde. Rane, 69, is Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises.
On Wednesday, he filed a petition through advocate Nikam before the high court to seek quashing of an August 24 FIR against him at cyber police station in Nashik.
His petition said that a series of crimes registered for the same transaction is nothing but an attempt to cause him “harassment” and multiplicity of litigation. He also said “there is a possibility of many more such FIRs being registered” in different parts of the state “out of political vengeance and grudge.”
The FIR and 3 others at Pune, Mahad and Thane were filed following Rane’s “slap” remark against CM Uddhav Thackeray during a press conference on August 23. The offences invoked included Section 153 (B) for allegedly making statements to promote disharmony and breach of peace in society.
Maneshinde said Rane made a statement in a press conference which was hypothetical. “One hypothetical statement has created so many ripples in the state.I do not know what will happen if truth is said. It’s a total malafide exercise of power.” He added that the person who registered the FIR took umbrage to the statement and the state machinery is being misused and with a political vendetta FIRs are being registered statewide over the same press conference under different provisions of law even when no criminal offence is disclosed. Rane’s petition said, “It is settled position of law that effects of the words must be judged from the standards of the reasonable, strong-minded, firm and courageous men and not those of weak and vacillating minds nor of those who scent danger in every hostile point of view.” It stated the allegations against him are “vague.”
