Mumbai Police won’t arrest Navneet Rana or her MLA-husband, Ravi Rana

There will be no arrests of the independent MP Navneet Rana or her MLA-husband, Ravi, until June 9, when the police’s request to cancel their bail in a case relating to recitation of the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ will be heard by a special Mumbai court.

When the Ranas announced that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s private residence in suburban Bandra, the Mumbai police arrested them on April 23.

Special Judge R N Rokade had granted the couple bail on May 5, but he had placed restrictions on them, including a prohibition on them speaking to reporters about the case.

If the couple commits similar offenses in the future, their bail will be forfeited, the judge stated.

In a May 9 petition to the special court in Mumbai, the Mumbai police alleged that the politician couple had violated the conditions of their bail.

Amravati Lok Sabha member Navneet Rana and Badnera MLA Ravi Rana responded jointly to the police’s request on Wednesday.

The couple stated that they had not impeded the investigation or made any public statements regarding the case in any way. Their bail was being sought to be revoked, but the police claimed they had failed to provide a compelling reason for doing so.

Police said in a court declaration that they would not take any coercive action against the couple until the next hearing after they replied. The special court accepted the statement and scheduled a hearing for June 9.