During the hearing of a plea filed by Kangana Ranaut the Bombay High Court on Tuesday told her lawyer, "She should have been more vigilant. If there was urgency, she would have approached you with all the details. Your application is vague", as per a report by Live Law.
Kangana had moved the High Court seeking directions to authorities to renew her passport so she can leave the country for a film's shoot. Her plea stated that the Passport Authority of India objected to the renewal due to the FIR registered against her by the Bandra police for hateful tweets and sedition.
The court further observed, "Which is the competent authority who refused you? You are seeking directions against the Passport Authority of India without making them a party?... This is all oral. Renewal of a passport is the business of the Passport Authority, not a PSI of a police station to whom an application was made, and you have approached the court against it".
The court made its observations after Kangana's counsel, advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, stated in his submissions that when the actor went to fill her passport renewal form, she was orally told that the sedition FIR could pose a problem.
The HC allowed Rizwan to amend his application and posted the matter for hearing on 25 June.
According to the plea filed by Kangana Ranaut, her passport expires on September 15 and the interim application was filed through Rizwan Siddiquee. It stated that Ranaut needs to fly to Hungary to shoot for Dhaakad from 15 June to 30 August.
In October 2020, the Metropolitan Magistrate court directed the Banda police to investigate a complaint filed by Bollywood casting director Munawwar Ali Sayyed. The complaint alleged that Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel, through their tweets and statements, defamed the Hindi film industry. Sayyed also accused the duo of spreading 'division and hatred between Hindu and Muslim communities'.
The Bandra police then registered an FIR against them under IPC sections 135A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc), 295A (deliberate acts hurting religious sentiments) and 124-A (sedition) read with 34 (conspiracy).
Ranaut and her sister had been granted protection from any coercive action in terms of the summons issued by the Mumbai Police.
(With inputs from Bar and Bench and Live Law)
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