A local court in Maharashtra has discharged Union Minister Narayan Rane for making unparliamentary remarks against former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in August 2021.
Chief Judicial Magistrate of Raigad-Alibag court S.W. Ugale further cancelled bail bonds of Rane in the case, after observing that the BJP leader’s unparliamentary remarks did not amount to criminal intimidation or promoting enmity between two groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community.
Even if the material and documents on record were taken at their face value, they did not disclose the existence of basic ingredients constituting the alleged offences under Sections 153A and 505(2) IPC, noted the CJM on Saturday, adding that the charges against the accused were found groundless.
The CJM further noted that being an influential figure in the political arena and having long standing experience in politics, Rane should have very well known the outcome of his words, however, there was no targeted or non-targeted group in Rane’s remarks.
Judge Ugale observed that the alleged threat given by Rane, “if it was me, I would have slapped him” was not a concrete or immediate threat amounting to criminal intimidation. Threats in the form of If and then did not fall under Section 506, he added.
During a Jan Aashirwad Yatra in Raigad in August 2021, Rane had allegedly said that it was shameful that Uddhav Thackeray did not know the year of independence.
Claiming that Thackeray forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address to the people of the state, Rane said had he been there, he would have given a tight slap to Uddhav.
Four FIRs were registered across Maharashtra against Rane, including at Mahad in Raigad district, Nashik and Pune, based on complaints filed by Shiv Sena leaders.
The BJP leader even defended his remarks against Thackeray, saying that he had not committed any crime by saying so.
In the present case, an FIR was registered against Rane at Mahad under Sections 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of public peace) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.
His lawyer Satish Maneshinde had submitted during the hearing of the discharge application.
The Judicial Magistrate First Class had initiated proceedings against Rane under Sections 153A(1-b), 506 (criminal intimidation), 504(2) (intentional insult to provoke breach of public peace) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.
Rane moved an application seeking discharge in the case.
(Case title: State of Maharashtra vs Narayan Tatya Rane)