In a big setback to the controversial actor, Kangana Ranaut, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the proceedings against her for a tweet on the farmers’ protest. This was after the Queen actor’s lawyer sought for the stay on proceedings against her. The court, according to the Bar and Bench website, told Kangana’s lawyer, “First you comply with the office objection then only we can consider your submissions.” Meanwhile, Kangana and her sister, Rangoli Chandel, have moved the Supreme Court seeking the transfer of four criminal cases from Mumbai to Himachal Pradesh, her native state.
Police in Karnataka had registered an FIR against Kangana for allegedly calling India’s protesting farmers ‘terrorists.’ The decision to book Kangana had come a day after several top Bollywood production houses owned by Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and Ajay Devgn moved the Delhi High Court against Arnab Goswami, his Republic TV, Times Now and its editors Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar.
The FIR against Kangana was filed under the ‘Sections 44 (Injury), 108 (Abettor), 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153(A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) , 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC).’
In her controversial tweet, posted on 21 September, Kangana had written, “People who spread misinformation and rumours about CAA that caused riots are the same people who are now spreading misinformation about farmers bill and causing terror in the nation, they are terrorists. You very well know what I said but simply like to spread misinformation.”
Kangana and her sister have alleged that there was a safety risk to their lives in Mumbai alleging that cases filed against them were frivolous. This came a day after a Mumbai court issued a bailable warrant against Kangana in the defamation case by Javed Akhtar.
Another case was filed by casting director Munawar Ali Sayyed, who had sought the FIR for offences punishable under Sections 153 A, 295 A, 124 A r/w 34 of IPC, for allegedly trying to create a communal divide through their social media.