Let's Decide On Being Respectful Towards Everyone: Bombay High Court On Narayan Rane's "Slap CM" Remark

While the State will inform the bench comprising Justices PB Varale and SM Modak tomorrow, the High Court told the BJP leader's counsels that Maharashtra had a great legacy and they should ask their client to act "respectably."

"Although this is not an advisory jurisdiction, the petitioner occupies a responsible position. But certainly the words used are not used respectably against another person who is also occupying a respectable position.
Why doesn't the petitioner come forward in court and make statement that let bygones be bygones. Let's decide on being respectable towards everyone. Let's not give out a wrong signal to the people."

The bench was hearing Rane's plea seeking quashing of an FIR registered at Dhule (Mahad MIDC) under sections 153A (1)(provoke to riot), 505(2), 504, 506(criminal intimidation), 189 (threat of injury to public servant) of the IPC.

The FIR was registered following a complaint by a Shiv Sena member regarding Rane's alleged hate speech during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra in Raigad in which he was critical of the Chief Minister.

On Thursday, when Justice Varale finally took up the matter, he narrated the legacy of Maharashtra. He said there was a time when two senior leaders were contesting elections against each other and one of them when to drop their children together.

"This is our culture, let us hope better sense prevails in the state," the court said.

The High Court was of the opinion that keeping the matter pending could only make it the talk of the town. The court said that we live in a democracy where people may have ideological differences but we must set a good example.

The bench then narrated an incident where a senior leader led a demonstration outside Mantralaya and then Chief Minister himself came down and took the leader in his chamber for a hearing.

Rane, represented by Advocate Satish Maneshinde along with Advocate Aniket Nikam, said that words were exchanged from both sides. Maneshinde said they were hoping for the state to make a statement like it did in the four other FIRs on the same issue against Rane in different part of the state.

The APP present in court said he did not have instructions to make statement saying no coercive action will be taken, after which the bench said the Advocate General may appear and inform the court if the state was willing to make a statement.

"Let us give a good example to our youngsters. It happens in political life, one adopts one ideology and someone else adopts some other ideology, they have their own likes and dis-likes."