Mevani held just for tweets on PM, police action against Rana couple justified: Maha minister

Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Tuesday cited the arrest of Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani to defend the Mumbai police action against jailed Independent Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her MLA-husband Ravi Rana, who have been charged with sedition and promoting enmity over the Hanuman Chalisa row.He said Mevani, the Independent MLA from Gujarats Vadgam town, was arrested by the Assam police last week for merely tweeting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Tuesday cited the arrest of Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani to defend the Mumbai police action against jailed Independent Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her MLA-husband Ravi Rana, who have been charged with sedition and promoting enmity over the Hanuman Chalisa row.

He said Mevani, the Independent MLA from Gujarat's Vadgam town, was arrested by the Assam police last week for merely tweeting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mevani has been booked under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between groups), 295A (malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 504 (provocation with an intention to break public peace) and under relevant sections of the IT Act.

“Mevani merely tweeted against the Prime Minister, but he was arrested and charged. The Mumbai police have also initiated action against the Rana duo as per their proper understanding of the law,” Walse Patil said.

Mevani, who was granted bail in the first case, was later arrested by the Assam police for allegedly assaulting a woman police officer.

Walse Patil, speaking to a regional news channel, said, “When a person does some (illegal) actions, it is interpreted within the framework of the law and accordingly charges are invoked against the person. Same procedure has been followed here and the Mumbai police took steps (against the Ranas) as per their best knowledge and wisdom.” ''The sedition offence does apply here (in case of the lawmaker couple) and hence it has been invoked,'' he added.

The home minister said the police action against Navneet Rana, the MP from Amravati in eastern Maharashtra, and Ravi Rana, the MLA from Badnera, has withstood legal scrutiny.

“The Bombay High Court has also accepted our defence and it has so far not granted bail in the case. I feel the High Court sees the case the same waHanuman Chalisa row.y as the police,” Walse Patil said.

After their arrest on Saturday over the Hanuman Chalisa row, the police booked Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana under IPC sections 124A (sedition) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and section 135 of the Mumbai Police Act (violation of prohibitory orders of police).

The sedition charge under the Indian Penal Code is defined as an offence committed when ''any person by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India''.

It is a non-bailable offence for which punishment ranges from imprisonment up to three years to a life term, to which a fine may be added.