A court in Raigad district of Maharashtra has discharged Union Minister Narayan Rane, stating that his statement made in 2021 about slapping the then CM of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray, did not amount to criminal intimidation. The court observed that the statement made by the union minister was politically insensitive, and such remarks were not expected from a person who holds the post of a union minister.

In 2021, Narayan Rane had made a statement against Uddhav during a press conference. He had said, “Mi Asto Tar Kanakhalich Chadhavli Asti’ (If it was me, I would have slapped him).”

The court noted that Rane`s statement was published in various newspapers, and video clips of the same were circulated on different platforms, causing disturbance in public tranquility and resulting in violence. The accused was booked by Raigad Police and charged under various sections of IPC, including 153¬A (1¬b) (promoting enmity between different groups) of IPC. Rane was arrested and later granted bail by the court.

Chief judicial Magistrate SW Ugale of Alibag in Raigad said, “The alleged threat that `Mi astat tar kanakhalich chadavli asti’ (If it was me, I would have slapped him) is not a concrete or immediate threat in the form of criminal intimidation. Threats under the guise of `if’ and `then` do not fall under this section. The threat should really mean and should be immediate. `I will slap him` or `am going to slap him` may be considered as an immediate threat and fall under the terminology of `criminal intimidation,` but not the so-called threat in the form of `if` and `then`.”

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The court order further stated, “The statement made by the accused can be said as controversial and politically insensitive, which is not expected from a person who holds the post of a Union Minister.”

The court also noted that the irresponsible remarks were made by Rane to the then chief minister, but he didn`t complain, and a local resident in Mahad filed the complaint. The court stated that the person who has occupied the post of the Chief Minister will not break public peace or commit any offense, nor is there a case of the prosecution that the insulted person has caused a breach of public peace or can commit any offense. Therefore, the informant is not the person who has been insulted and provoked to breach the public peace or to commit an offense, resulting in not being an aggrieved person, within the meaning of section 504 of IPC.

The issue pertains to a question being asked to Thackeray about Indian Independence, and Rane claimed that Thackeray did not know, and it was shameful. Rane then said that had he been at the venue, he would have slapped Thackeray. The complaint was filed in Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra by a resident under Sections 153¬A (1¬b) (promoting enmity between different groups), 505(2) (statements conducive to public mischief), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

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