Kriti Agrawal –
Actress Kangana Ranaut filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, asking the Court to order the passport authorities to renew or re-issue her passport after they objected due to an ongoing sedition FIR against her.
Kangana stated in her plea that she needs to go overseas for professional reasons and that she had asked for re-issuance because her passport was slated to expire on September 15, 2021. An objection was lodged, however, noting the sedition FIR filed against her and her sister.
Further, she added that she has completed the first schedule of her upcoming Hindi film ‘Dhakkad,’ and that the second schedule will begin on June 15 and end on August 30 in Hungary.
The case will be heard by the Division Bench consisting of Justice PB Varale and Justice SP Tavade.
Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel were charged with violating Section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, race, etc.,) Section 295-A (deliberate acts hurting religious sentiments), and Section124-A (sedition) r/w Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly attempting to create a communal divide via social media.
In October 2020, a Metropolitan Magistrate Court issued an order on a private complaint filed by casting director Munawar Ali Sayyed, prompting the filing of the FIR. Sayyed claimed that the sisters intended to incite enmity and discontent against the Maharashtra government through their tweets.
The sisters appealed the Magistrate’s ruling and the FIR on technical grounds, claiming that the Court failed to explain how any of their tweets fostered animosity between various groups or acted in a way that jeopardized the maintenance of intergroup harmony. Even though the quashing petition is pending.