Mumbai: After being summoned by the Mumbai Police for recording their statements, controversial Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel, on Tuesday moved the Bombay High Court seeking to quash an FIR registered against them by the Mumbai Police. The duo have sought setting aside the order passed by a Magistrate, who ordered the city police to register an FIR against the two sisters for creating communal animosity.
A bench led by Justice Sambhaji Shinde is likely to take up the matter for hearing this week.
Both Kangana and Rangoli have moved the bench through their counsel Rizwan Siddiqui, who confirmed to the Free Press Journal about filing of the writ petition.
"The petition would come up for hearing probably this week. As per the roster, Justice Shinde's bench is likely to hear the plea," Siddique said.
The counsel, however, refused to divulge any details on the grounds on which Kangana and her sister have sought quashing of the FIR.
Notably, the duo were summoned by the city police and asked to remain present on November 23 and 24, before the officers of Bandra police station. They were called for recording their statements in connection to the FIR.
A Magistrate court in Bandra had in October ordered the police to register an FIR against the duo under charges of sedition, creating communal enmity, hurting religious sentiments through their social media posts.
The order was passed on a private complaint filed with the Magistrate by casting director Munnawar Ali Sayyed, who urged the court for a thorough probe to ascertain the rational and the intention (on part of Kangana and Rangoli) to put up various hateful posts on their social media handles.
The director specifically highlighted their posts on Palghar Sadhu lynching and the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The plaint further highlighted the controversial tweet of Kangana, wherein she compared Mumbai to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Having perused the plaint, the Magistrate concluded that a "prima facie cognizable offence was made out" against the two sisters and it accordingly ordered a thorough probe.
Subsequently, summons were served to the duo, however, they didn't turn up citing a wedding, they had to attend in their home town at Himachal Pradesh. Thus, fresh summons were issued to them to appear on November 23 and 24.