News Analysis India

Tag: Kangana Ranaut

  • Javed Akhtar files Caveat in SC in Kangana’s plea seeking transfer of cases from Mumbai to Shimla

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court saying that he be heard in connection with Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel’s plea seeking transfer of cases pending against them in Mumbai to a court in Shimla.

    A caveat is filed by a litigant in high courts and in the Supreme Court to ensure that no adverse order is passed against the party without it being heard.

    Alleging there would be a threat to their lives if the trial proceeds in Mumbai, the actress and her sister had said they apprehend that if trial in these cases are conducted in Mumbai, there would be a ”material threat” to their life and property as the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government has been ”harassing” them.

    ALSO READ | Bailable warrant issued against Kangana Ranaut on Javed Akhtar’s complaint

    Akhtar had filed a criminal complaint against Ranaut before the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate, for allegedly making defamatory and baseless comments against him in television interviews.

    He had sought action against the actor under relevant sections of the IPC.

    The complaint said that Ranaut had made baseless comments against Akhtar, which caused damage to his reputation.

    Ranaut’s plea in the apex court has sought transfer of trial of FIRs and complaints registered against her, including a complaint case filed by Akhtar.

    It said that Akhtar had filed a complaint case against Ranaut alleging criminal defamation after the actress had given an interview to a news channel last year in which she had talked about a meeting with the lyricist in 2016.

  • Kangana Ranaut, sister move SC to transfer cases from Mumbai to Shimla court

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Hindi film actor Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel have moved the Supreme Court seeking the transfer of criminal cases pending against them in various courts of Maharashtra’s Mumbai to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh.

    Ranaut and Chandel claimed that they face a threat to life if the trials proceed in Mumbai, because of the personal vendetta of Shiv Sena leaders against them.

    Ranaut in her plea said that looking at the threat perception, she was granted Y-plus category of CRPF security by the Home Ministry, therefore, it becomes quite evident that they “face a serious threat to life and property and if the trial of the cases are not transferred out of Mumbai their life will be at risk.”

    ALSO READ: Karnataka HC adjourns hearing on Kangana Ranaut’s plea against FIR over tweet on farmers

    Various cases were filed against both the sisters including the criminal defamation complaint by veteran lyricist, Javed Akhtar alleging that Ranaut had made defamatory remarks against him on Republic TV after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

    Advocate Ali Kashif Khan Deshmukh had also filed a criminal case against them in Mumbai for allegedly causing disharmony between Hindus and Muslims by her tweets. He had cited the example of Ranaut’s tweet on Mumbai turning into “Pakistan Occupied Kashmir”.

    A sedition case was filed by casting director Munawar Ali Sayyed, who alleged that Ranaut and her sister tried to create a communal divide through social media and they deliberately made the tweets to bring hatred and excite disaffection towards the Maharashtra government.

    The sisters have now approached the top court urging to transfer all the cases to Himachal Pradesh, their home state.

    In their petition, Ranaut stated that “Shiv Sena will leave no stone unturned to eliminate her, because of her continuous outspokenness against the wrongs done by the Shiv Sena in collusion with big names of the Hindi film industry.”

    Ranaut in the plea pointed out that Sanjay Raut, who is a senior Shiv Sena leader and a Member of Parliament had used inappropriate words against her and the Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) illegally demolished her Pali Hill Bungalow. The plea added that the Bombay High Court has declared the BMC’s act of demolishing a part of her bungalow illegal, and added that it smacked of malafide intentions.

    Ranaut and Chandel further stated that while they have utmost faith and respect for courts in the country, they apprehend a threat to their life and property if the trial in the cases continues in Mumbai. They also alleged harassment at the instance of the Maharashtra government led by Shiv Sena.

    “These acts of the Maharashtra government clearly show that the Maharashtra government has malafide intentions against the petitioners and that if the petitioners visit Maharashtra to attend the trials, there will be a constant threat to them from the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra government,” the plea stated.  

  • Karnataka HC adjourns hearing on Kangana Ranaut’s plea against FIR over tweet on farmers

    By Express News Service
    BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has adjourned the hearing of the petition filed by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut to March 18. Justice HP Sandesh adjourned the hearing on Tuesday.  

    She has moved the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the FIR registered by the Kyathsandra Police in Tumakuru district in response to an order passed by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) based on the private complaint filed by Tumakuru based advocate Ramesh Naik L.

    Naik has filed the private complaint against Kangana for her alleged objectionable tweet against farmers who are protesting against the farm laws. He alleged that her tweet insulted the farmers of the country. Acting on it, the JMFC had ordered the local police to register an FIR and conduct an investigation.

  • Sedition case: None of my tweets incited violence, Kangana to HC

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday told the Bombay High Court, through her lawyer, that none of her tweets had ever incited violence or caused any criminal acts, and sought quashing of the FIR registered against her for sedition by Mumbai Police.

    The HC will continue hearing the arguments on February 26 and the interim protection from arrest granted to Ranaut and her sister Rangoli will continue till then.

    Ranaut’s counsel Rizwan Siddique told a bench of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale that the actor had not committed any wrong through her tweets.

    He said the magistrate’s court in suburban Bandra had erred in allowing registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Ranaut on charges including sedition.

    Siddique urged the High Court to quash the lower court’s order as well as the FIR.

    “There is absolute non-application of mind in the (Bandra) court’s order. Even the sections invoked against me do not constitute any offence. None of my tweets have invoked any reactions from the public. They will not attract a punishment as they were not followed by violence. What happened after the tweet? Was there any criminal act after my tweets?” Siddique told the HC on the behalf of Ranaut.

    The actor and her sister Rangoli had challenged the order of the magistrate’s court to initiate criminal proceedings against them and the subsequent summons issued by the Mumbai Police.

    The FIR was registered against Ranaut and Rangoli in October last year on the directions of the magistrate’s court after Munawwar Ali Sayyad, a casting director and fitness trainer, filed a complaint citing some tweets and statements made allegedly by Ranaut and her sister.

    In an affidavit filed in the HC earlier this month, Sayyad had said that among other things, Ranaut and Rangoli promoted “hatred and contempt, and incited disaffection towards the Maharashtra government,” through their tweets.

    He said in the affidavit that the magistrate’s court was therefore, justified in directing the police to initiate proceedings and invoke the offence of sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code against them.

    In his complaint to the magistrate court, Sayyed had alleged that Ranaut, through her tweets and television interviews, had continuously defamed Hindi film industry by portraying Bollywood as a hub of nepotism, favouritism, drug addicts, communally-biased people and murderers, etc.

    He said Ranaut and Rangoli had also repeatedly promoted enmity between communities through their remarks.

    However, Ranaut’s counsel Siddique on Monday denied these allegations.

    He told the HC that the Bandra court had failed to follow due procedure and didn’t apply its mind in permitting the police to initiate action against Ranaut and her sister.

    Earlier last month, Sayyad had also filed an application seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Ranaut for allegedly breaching a previous undertaking she had given to the HC.

    He said in his plea that on November 24, Ranaut had given an undertaking that she will not make statements pertaining to the Mumbai Police’s investigation into the sedition case filed against her.

    However, on January 8, just before she went to the police station, Ranaut tweeted a video in which she spoke to her fans about the investigation, Sayyad had said.

    The HC is hearing Ranaut’s plea against the Bandra court and Sayyad’s contempt application together.

  • Tweet row: MP cops use force, foil Congress protest march to Kangana’s filming location

    Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Demanding an apology from Kangana Ranaut over her “anti-farmer” tweet, Congress workers on Friday evening staged protests at Sarani town of MP where the actress is shooting for Bollywood flick ‘Dhaakad’.

    Led by Betul legislator Nilay Daga and district Congress president Sunil Sharma, the party activists tried to march to the coal handling plant of the Satpura Thermal Power Station but were stopped by the police around 200 meters away.

    Kangana has been shooting at the same coal handling plant premises for the last few days along with Arjun Rampal and others for ‘Dhaakad’, which is slated for October 2021 release.

    With the Congress activists hell-bent on entering into the coal handling plant premises, the police first used water cannon to disperse the protestors. But when the activists started scuffling with the cops, they used force to push them back.

    Cops used force and water cannons to push back Cong activists on way to stop Kangana Ranaut’s flick ‘Dhaakad’s shoot in Sarani town of MP’s Betul district. Protestors were demanding her apology for last week’s tweet on agitating farmers. @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/IDOhCpMPsw
    — Anuraag Singh (@anuraag_niebpl) February 12, 2021

    Later, Congress gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the actress to apologise within for her last week’s tweet failing which the protest would intensify. Last week, the actress had attacked the Barbadian pop singer Rihanna for extending support to the ongoing farmers’ agitation. While responding to Rihanna’s tweet, Kangana had tweeted dubbing the protesting farmers as “terrorists.”

    However, Kangana was camping at a resort in Churna in the Satpura Tiger Reserve (around 25 km from Sarani town), while the protests were going on at Sarani.

    ALSO READ | Kangana Ranaut shares glimpse from ‘nonstop action shift’ for ‘Dhaakad’

    Earlier on Thursday evening, the Betul District Congress president Sunil Sharma had announced to hold the protests in Sarani town, demanding an apology from Kangana for her controversial tweet. On the same day, the actress tweeted, “Mujhe netagiri mein koi interest nahin… magar lagta hai Congress mujhe neta banakar hi choragi (I don’t have any interest in politics, but it seems Congress is determined to make me a politician).”

    The police security cover had been tightened around the Coal Handling Plant in Sarani in the wake of Congress’s threats to stall the shooting of the flick starring Kangana, who was granted Y-plus security cover by the central government in September 2020. The Centre’s move came after she claimed a threat to her life in the wake of her statements about the presence of an alleged drug nexus in Bollywood.

  • Madhya Pradesh cops provide security to Kangana Ranaut after Congress leaders’ threat

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh police have put in place thick security cover around Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut in the wake of a threat by some state Congress leaders that they would not allow her shoot for a film if she did not apologise to farmers over her tweets, an official said on Friday.

    Shooting for “Dhaakad”, Ranaut’s new film, is going on in Sarni area of Betul district.

    Talking to PTI over phone, Sarni City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Abhay Ram Choudhary said, “Security has been tightened for the actress after MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra directed Betul Superintendent of Police Simala Prasad to do so.”

    Police personnel equipped with batons and firearms are deployed around the coal handling plant (CHL) near a power project, where the shooting is on, he added.

    “Police will man gate numbers two and four of the CHL, from where actors usually enter the shooting venue,” Choudhary said.

    An inspector has been assigned to oversee Ranaut’s safety at the resort, located around 45 kms from Sarni town, where she is during for the shoot, he said.

    “We will ensure that she does not face any disturbance during the shoot,” the CSP added.

    As per the film schedule, her shoot at Sarni would end on February 17, the police officer said.

    State Congress Sewa Dal secretary Manoj Arya and Chicholi Block Congress Committee president Nekram Yadav had on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to a tehsildar in Betul, in which they threatened that they would not allow Ranaut to shoot at Sarni if she does not apologise by Friday evening over her comments against the ongoing farmers’ protest.

    The Congress leaders had alleged that Ranaut had maligned farmers.

    On Thursday, Narottam Mishra had said that the government will ensure that “behan-beti” Kangana faces no problem while shooting.

    He had also urged state Congress chief Kamal Nath to dissuade his party workers from disrupting the shoot.

    Twitter had recently deleted some of Ranaut’s controversial tweets over the farmers’ protest.

  • Security in Madhya Pradesh town beefed up as Congress announces protest against Kangana

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Security has been beefed up in Sarani town of Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district following opposition Congress’s announcement to hold massive protest against national award winning actress Kangana Ranaut on Friday after she termed agitating farmers as “terrorists” in her tweet.

    Kangana is presently shooting for her next Bollywood flick Dhaakad within the coal handling plant premises of the Satpura Thermal Power Station in Sarani, around 45 km from Betul district headquarters.

    The opposition Congress had earlier given the Bollywood actress an ultimatum till Friday to apologize for terming the agitating farmers as “terrorists,” failing which they had threatened to carry out a massive tractor rally from different parts of Betul district to Sarani town in a bid to stall the shooting of Kangana Ranaut and Arjun Rampal starrer movie on Saturday.

    Earlier, on Wednesday, a Congress delegation led by the Betul District Seva Dal chief Manoj Arya had in Chicholi tehsil of Betul district, submitted to the local tehsildar, a memorandum addressed to the Betul district collector.

    Reacting to opposition Congress workers’ ultimatum and threats to the actor, MP home minister Narottam Mishra said on Thursday, “I request MP Congress president Kamal Nath to stop his party workers from indulging in such activities. I’ve already talked to the Betul district police superintendent and asked her to ensure that Congress workers aren’t allowed to disturb law and order in the district. I’m also trying to get in touch with our sister-daughter Kangana over the phone, we’ll ensure her full security and safety.”

    Just a few hours after the MP home minister’s statements in Bhopal, the Congress party decided to prepone their Saturday’s protests in Betul by a day.

    “We’ll hold the protest in Sarani town, where the shooting of the Kangana Ranaut-starrer movie is underway. We’re determined to hold protests in Sarani on Friday evening, we’ll do what we’ve announced, let the local administration and police do what it has to,” Betul District Congress president Sunil Sharma said on Thursday evening.

    A Congress delegation, earlier on Thursday, also submitted a memorandum to the Betul district police superintendent, demanding registering an FIR against Kangana Ranaut for her tweet in which she had termed the agitating farmers as “terrorists.”

    Last week, the Bollywood actress had attacked the Barbadian pop singer Rihanna for extending support to the ongoing farmers’ agitation. While responding to Rihanna’s tweet, Kangana had tweeted dubbing the protesting farmers as “terrorists.”

  • Congress threatens protest at Kangana’s ‘Dhaakad’ shoot in MP if she doesn’t apologise for tweets about farmers

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district have threatened that they would not allow Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut to shoot for a film if she did not apologize to farmers over her tweets.

    BJP leader and state home minister Narottam Mishra said on Thursday that the government will ensure that “behan- beti” Kangana faces no problem while shooting.

    Shooting for “Dhakad”, Ranaut’s new film, is going on in Sarni area of Betul district.

    State Congress Sewa Dal secretary Manoj Arya and Chicholi Block Congress Committee president Nekram Yadav on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to a tehsildar in Betul.

    Cong to stall Kangana Ranaut starrer flick Dhakad’s shooting in MP’s Betul district on Feb 13, if she doesn’t apologize by Feb 12 for dubbing agitating farmers “terrorists.” MP home minister warns stern action if Cong disturbs law and order. @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard
    — Anuraag Singh (@anuraag_niebpl) February 11, 2021

    If Ranaut did not apologize by Friday evening for her comments against the ongoing farmers’ protest on Delhi borders, she would not be allowed to shoot at Sarni, it said.

    Ranaut had maligned farmers, the Congress leaders alleged.

    Reacting sharply, home minister Mishra said state Congress chief Kamal Nath should dissaude his party workers from disrupting the shoot.

    “I had a telephonic talk with the Betul Superintendent of Police. Law will take its own course and will be adhered to. I am trying to contact behan-beti (sister and daughter) Kangana. She won’t face any problem,” he said.

    Twitter had recently deleted some of Ranaut’s controversial tweets over the farmers’ protest.

  • Bombay HC to hear plea for Kangana’s Twitter account suspension on March 9

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said it would hear a plea seeking either suspension or termination of the Twitter account of Kangana Ranaut on March 9 though the petitioner sought an urgent hearing claiming the actor recently posted a tweet calling the protesting farmers as “terrorists”.

    The petitioner Ali Kashif Khan Deshmukh, who is an advocate, on Tuesday moved an application before a division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale seeking urgent hearing on his petition, filed in December last year, seeking termination of Ranaut’s Twitter account.

    In his application, Deshmukh cited certain tweets posted by Ranaut on Twitter in which she allegedly called the farmers, who are protesting at Delhi’s borders against the three new farm laws, as “terrorists”.

    The bench said it would be able to hear the plea only on March 9.

    In his petition, Deshmukh had claimed that Ranaut’s posts on Twitter were spreading hatred among different religious communities.

    The Maharashtra government had, however, opposed the plea, saying it was vague.

    Last week, Twitter India had removed two of the tweets by Ranaut, citing a violation of the platform’s rules.

    The actor has been criticising protesting farmers over their agitations against the Centre’s three farm laws.

    Ranaut has been actively posting on Twitter since last Tuesday when international pop star Rihanna came out in support of the farmers’ agitations.

    On February 5, a magistrate’s court in Mumbai directed the police to submit a progress report on the inquiry it had ordered into a complaint filed by Deshmukh against Ranaut and her sister for posting alleged hateful messages on social media.

  • Court seeks progress report on probe against Kangana Ranaut on social media posts

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: A magistrate court here on Friday directed the Mumbai police to submit a progress report on the inquiry it had ordered into a complaint against actor Kangana Ranaut and her sister for posting alleged hateful messages on social media.

    In October last year, the magistrate court had asked suburban Amboli police to conduct an inquiry into a private complaint filed by a lawyer related to the alleged objectionable messages and file a report by December 5.

    The police, however, failed to file the report within the time-frame given by the court, which later extended the deadline to January 5, which, too, was missed.

    The police were given a fresh deadline of February 5, but they are yet to file their report on the inquiry they have conducted into the matter.

    “They were given time till today (Feb 5) to file the report under section 202 of the CrPC.

    “Since they have failed to do so, I asked court to issue process directly to the accused.

    Thus, the court called for progress report (from police on probe so far)),”said advocate Ali Kashif Khan Deshmukh, the complainant in the case.

    Issuance of process is a legal means by which an accused (against whom a case is filed) is required to appear in court or is given notice of a legal action against him/her.

    Enquiry under section 202 of the CrPC is ordered to determine whether a prima facie case is made out and whether there is sufficient ground for proceeding against the accused.

    The court posted the matter for further hearing on March 4.

    According to the complaint, Ranaut’s sister Rangoli Chandel had posted an objectionable message on Twitter in April last year, targeting a particular community, following which her account was suspended.

    Ranaut then posted a video in support of her sister and in the clip allegedly referred to members of a particular community as “terrorists”, the complainant said, seeking a police investigation and action against the two.