The Bombay High Court while quashing the demolition notice sent to actor Kangana Ranaut by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and accusing the Maharashtra State government with “malafide intent”, also took note of the despicable remarks made by Sanjay Raut against the actor. Tearing into the Shiv Sena MP, the Bombay HC bench comprising of Justices S J Kathawalla and RI Chagle opined that such conduct certainly doesn’t befit a leader like Sanjay Raut who is also a Parliamentarian.
In the order granting relief to #KanganaRanaut, Bombay High Court criticizes the statements and conduct of Sanjay Raut MP @rautsanjay61 against Kangana.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) November 27, 2020
“Such conduct certainly does not befit a leader like Shri Raut who is also a parliamentarian”, HC said.#BombayHighCourt pic.twitter.com/UXehh2BsXQ
In the order, the Bombay HC refused to accept the explanation Sanjay Raut had earlier provided for the ‘haramkhor’ remark he had directed towards Kangana Ranaut when the latter had likened Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the wake of Azaadi graffiti seen on the streets of the city and the subsequent inaction of the Mumbai Police. Condemning the parliamentarian for his remark laced with vitriol, the court observed that Sanjay Raut had neither denied not expressed any sort of repentance for comments he made in his interview with the News Nation channel on September 5.
The court furthered that a day after BMC conducted the demolition at Kangana Ranaut’s Mumbai office-cum-residential bungalow located at Chetak Row House, in Pali Hill, Bandra (west), Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, of which Raut is the Executive Editor, reported the demolition on its first page in a manner of rejoicing and victoriously, with the headline “Ukhaad diya” (uprooted).
The Bombay High Court opined that the editorial published in Saamana implied that the demolition drive was an act of revenge, which the Maharashtra Government had taken against the actor for her Tweet dated September 3, wherein she compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. “In the said report, it is inter alia stated that the Petitioner (Kangana Ranaut) who was unnecessarily spoiling the name of the Mumbai police has received a good blow”, stated the order.
It said that the language used by Sanjay Raut show that Kangana Ranaut was threatened by him. “Sanjay Raut, without being bothered that the rule of law should always prevail, was determined to teach a lesson to the Petitioner”, read the Bombay HC’s order.
‘Malafide intent’: Bombay HC slams BMC for demolishing Kangana Ranaut’s house
The Bombay HC had also slammed the Uddhav Thackeray government for attempting to stifle the voices of dissent. It opined that is not befitting for the state government to take mala fide action against a citizen however distasteful their views might be.
“There are materials to indicate that the action of demolition smacks of malafides and would refrain from making findings on malice in fact for want of facts”, observed the two-judge bench of the Bombay HC hearing a writ petition filed by actor Kangana Ranaut challenging the demolition of her bungalow by the Mumbai civic body at the behest of the state government.
Sanjay Raut threatens, goes on a misogynistic tirade against Kangana
The faceoff between the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and Kangana was triggered after the latter in her Tweet compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the wake of Azaadi graffiti seen on the streets of the city and the subsequent inaction of the Mumbai Police. Irked by the actor’s Tweet, Raut in an interview to the News Nation called Kangana a ‘haramkhor’.
On being asked by the News Nation reporter whether he will take unlawful steps to prevent Kangana Ranaut from entering Mumbai, Sanjay Raut replied, “What is law? Did that girl respect the law in the manner in which she spoke? Why are you acting as the lawyer of that ‘haramkhor’ girl?”
Moreover, in addition to this vitriolic and misogynistic remark, Raut had in an article in Sena mouthpiece Saamana, threatened actress Kangana Ranaut not to travel back to Mumbai after she had expressed fear stating that that the city police force was more threatening to her than the ‘movie mafia’.
