Mumbai: Actress Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel filed a petition in the Bombay High Court on Monday, seeking to quash an FIR registered against them by Mumbai Police for allegedly "trying to create hatred and communal tension" through their posts on social media.
The FIR, under sedition charges, was registered pursuant to orders passed by the Bandra magistrates court directing the police to carry out an inquiry against Ranaut and her sister following a complaint lodged against them.
"Kangana and Rangoli have filed a petition in the Bombay High Court for quashing of the FIR and the magistrate's order," their advocate Rizwan Siddiquee told.
He said the petition has also sought the court to stay the summons issued against the duo asking them to appear before the police for questioning, and also a direction to the police to not take any coercive steps against them.
The Mumbai Police last week summoned Ranaut and her sister for the third time to record their statements on November 23 and 24 for allegedly promoting enmity between two communities.
The police have filed the FIR against Ranaut and her sister under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race), 295-A (deliberate acts hurting religious sentiments) and 124-A (sedition), 34 (common intention).
Actress Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel were asked to appear before the Bandra Police today. However, the duo failed to do so.
Kangana had earlier informed the police that she was busy with a wedding in the family and will be available only after November 15.
Mumbai police had issued the second notice to Kangana Ranaut and Rangoli Chandel on November 3 and ordered them to appear before it on November 10.
In the complaint filed in the court, Munawwar Ali Sayyed, a Bollywood casting director and fitness trainer, had alleged that through her tweet and TV interviews, Ranaut is spoiling the image of Bollywood by calling it the centre of nepotism, biased etc and alleged that the tweets amounted to causing provocation, hurt and the enmity between groups.
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(with inputs from agency)
