What is the need to add sedition charges, asks Bombay HC; grants Kangana Ranaut and her sister interim protection from arrest

The Bombay High Court Tuesday granted interim protection from arrest to actor Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel in the case filed by the Mumbai Police over allegedly inflammatory tweets.

The Court, however, directed the duo to appear before the police on January 8 as undertaken by them to record their statements.

A bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik was hearing a plea filed by Ranaut seeking quashing of the FIR against them for alleged sedition, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and race and hurting religious sentiments.

During the hearing, the bench expressed displeasure at the invocation of the sedition charge against Ranaut and her sister.

"It has become a trend to add 124A IPC in the FIR. What is the need? Are we treating our citizens like this?", asked Justice Shinde.

Justice Shinde even told the Chief Public Prosecutor Deepak Thakre to conduct a workshop with police officers to tell them what sections to invoke"

The Court noted that adding such serious offences in the FIR restricted it from granting protection at ad-interim stages.

The FIR was filed following an order of the Metropolitan Magistrate at Bandra directing the Bandra police to initiate an investigation into a complaint filed over allegedly hateful tweets by Ranaut.

Ranaut and Chandel were represented by advocate Rizwan Siddiquee.