Rana couple’s bail plea to be heard on Friday

In another setback, the Mumbai City Civil and Sessions Court on Tuesday posted the hearing of independent MP Navneet Kaur-Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana’s bail plea for Friday.

The couple’s lawyer Rizwan Merchant had moved the bail plea but the court directed the prosecution to file its reply on Friday and would hear it further that day.

Arrested by the Khar Police on April 23, the Ranas were remanded to 14 days judicial custody by a Bandra holiday Magistrate, where they also filed a bail plea.

However on Monday, they withdrew the bail plea to move the Sessions Court which will take it up on Friday.

In the plea, Merchant has contended that their call to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside the private home of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was not a calculated move to promote feelings of hatred or enmity and hence the charges under IPC Sec. 153(A) was not sustainable.

On Monday, the Bombay High Courst also dismissed their plea to quash the Mumbai Police’s second FIR invoking charges under Bombay Police Act 353 pertaining to alleged assault of a public servant and obstructing him from discharging his official duties.