The Bombay high court on January 11 observed that it had serious reservations over invoking the penal section of sedition against Kangana Ranaut and continued its interim protection (of November 2020) till January 25, 2021 from any coercive action in the case over her tweets. The court was hearing Kangana and her sister, Rangoli Chandel’s plea against the case. The sisters sought that it be quashed and the order of a magistrate directing the police to register an FIR also be quashed, and that pending final disposal of their petition, the entire prosecution and investigation be stayed and no coercive action be taken against them. The court directed Bombay police not to summon the two for further questioning till the next hearing. The two had appeared before the Bandra (Bombay) police on January 8.
Munawwar Ali Sayyed, a Bollywood casting director and fitness trainer, had filed the complaint before the magistrate. The court gave Munawwar time till January 25 to file a reply to Kangana and Rangoli’s petition.