Slap Uddhav remark: Narayan Rane asked to appear before cops next week

Mumbai, Aug 25: Union Minister Narayan Rane, who was granted bail over his 'slap Uddhav' remark has been asked to appear before the police in Nashik on September 2.

The BJP leader had said during the Jan Ashirwad Yatra of his party on Monday that he would have slapped Thackeray over the latter's 'ignorance' of the year of India's independence.

"Satyamev Jayate" (truth always prevails), Rane tweeted after getting bail and on his way back to Mumbai. After his arrest on Tuesday afternoon, Rane was taken to Mahad in Raigad district, 165 km from Mumbai, where an FIR was registered against him over the remark.

Cases were registered against him at Nashik and Pune too as the remark set off angry protests by workers of the ruling Shiv Sena. Rane was taken into custody at Golwali, the ancestral village of former RSS chief Sadashivrao Golwalkar 'Guruji' in Ratnagiri district.

He was then handed over to Raigad police around 2.45 pm in connection with the FIR registered at Mahad. The case at Mahad was registered under IPC sections 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of public peace), and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief).

At the Mahad court, Government pleader Bhushan Salvi sought seven-day police custody for the BJP leader. It was important to investigate if there was a conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the chief minister, he said. Opposing the application, Rane's lawyers Aniket Nikam and Bhau Salunkhe argued that his health condition was serious as he was 69 years old and suffered from sugar and blood pressure issues.

Nikam further argued that the offenses under IPC for which Rane was arrested were all punishable with less than seven years and hence his custody was unnecessary. Nikam also argued that Rane's arrest was illegal as no summons was issued to him under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure before his arrest.

Court, after hearing both the sides, denied the police the Union minister's custody. It instead remanded him in judicial custody and then, on the plea moved by his lawyers, granted Rane bail on a surety of Rs 15,000.