MUMBAI: A day after being arrested and released on bail for remarks against Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Union minister Narayan Rane struck a defiant note, hitting out at the Shiv
Sena leadership and pledging to renew efforts to “get the guilty punished” for the deaths of Disha Salian and Puja Chavan, two politically sensitive cases where investigations are still on.
In another development, the Maharashtra government assured the Bombay HC that it will not take any coercive steps till September 17 against Rane in connection with the FIR registered against him at Nashik over his “slap” remark in relation to the CM. 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 a matter of his freedom of speech. “I can’t make any statements that he (Rane) will not utter anything,” said Maneshinde. Rane filed a petition before the HC to seek quashing of an August 24 FIR against him.
Addressing a press meet, Rane steered clear of repeating his remarks, but said he was justifiably angry that the CM should be ignorant about India’s independence and said what he did so that it does not happen again.
He read out statements made by Thackeray to underscore the intemperate language used by Sena leaders against political rivals. “Our colleague Lad (MLC Prasad Lad) made a statement, ‘Bring down the Sena board’. At the BDD chawl function, the chief minister responded, ‘Anyone says anything about Sena Bhavan, thobaad fodaa (break their face).’ On Yogi Adityanath (UP CM), he said, ‘Ha Yogi aahe ki dhongi, chhapaline marayla pahije (Is he a yogi or charlatan? He should be beaten with slippers).’ For Amit Shah and me, he used the word, ‘nirlajj (shameless)’. Is this not a crime?” he said.The court rulings in his favour in the present case clearly showed the rule of law, said Rane. Referring to a video which allegedly shows Sena minister Anil Parab pressuring police officials to arrest Rane, he asked “Where is the law and order in the state?”
It also emerged on Wednesday that while granting him bail, the Mahad magistrate in his Tuesday order had observed Rane’s arrest was justified but custodial interrogation was not necessary.