Kangana Ranaut Moves Bombay High Court After Passport Authorities Raise Objection In Passport Renewal

Actor Kangana Ranaut has filed an application in the Bombay High Court seeking directions to the passport authorities to renew/re-issue her passport after they raised an objection for the same owing to the sedition FIR pending against her. In her application, Kangana has said that she needs to travel abroad for her professional commitments and had applied for re-issuance as her passport is set to expire on September 15, 2021. However, an objection was raised citing the sedition FIR against her and her sister. A division bench of Justices PB Varale and SP Tavade will hear her the plea. The Bandra police registered an FIR against Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel for offences punishable under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc), 295A (deliberate acts hurting religious sentiments) and 124-A (sedition) r/w 34 of IPC, for and allegedly trying to create a communal divide through their social media. The FIR was registered following a Metropolitan Magistrate Court's order on a private complaint by casting director Munawar Ali Sayyed, last October. Sayyed alleged that the sisters deliberately tweeted to bring hatred and excite disaffection towards the Maharashtra Government. The sisters challenged the Magistrate's order and the FIR on technical grounds, and further contented that the court did not justify how any of their tweets promoted enmity between different groups or acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between groups. Even as the quashing petition is pending, in an application filed last week Kangana said that she has finished shooting the first schedule of her upcoming Hindi movie 'Dhakkad,' and the second schedule will commence in Hungary from June 15 to August 30. "There are huge monetary investments made by production houses in booking such shooting locations, wherein the applicant is required to participate as an actress," her plea states. "The applicant no. 1 humble submits and the applicant is one of the top most actresses of the Hindi Film Industry and has won several prestigious awards including National Awards. …that by virtue of being an actress she needs to travel to different parts of the Country and even international locations for professional commitments," it adds. Through the application Ranaut therefore prays for renewal of her passport and seeks for the High Court to "confirm that the magistrate's order and FIR under challenge … would not compromise the Applicant No. 1(Kangana) rights to cause issuance of a passport in her name."

Kangana Ranaut Moves Bombay High Court After Passport Authorities Raise Objection In Passport Renewal

Sharmeen Hakim

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