Kangana Ranaut appears before cops over derogatory remarks on Sikh community

Mumbai: Pursuant to the Bombay High Court order, actor Kangana Ranaut appeared before the Mumbai Police today in connection with the FIR registered against her for her Instagram posts about the Sikh community and the Khalistani movement.

As per reports, Ranaut reached Khar police station at 11 am. An FIR was filed there against her last month following a complaint by a Sikh organisation.

Last month, Ranaut was booked by the Khar Police under IPC section 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs). Ranaut was supposed to appear before the Khar police station after her lawyer Ankita Chatterjee had made a statement that she would be appearing before the police station on December 22.

However, on Wednesday, her lawyer sought another date for appearance.

The police had told the high court that they would not arrest Ms Ranaut till January 25 over her social media post that allegedly linked farmers' protests to a separatist group.

The police made the statement after the high court said the issue involved the larger question of Ms Ranaut's fundamental right to free speech and that the court would have to grant her some relief.

Ranaut had approached the high court seeking quashing of the case registered against her for her objectionable Instagram posts.

In the police complaint, members of a Sikh organisation alleged that the actor on an Instagram post portrayed farmers' protest on Delhi's borders as a Khalistani movement.

The police filed the case against Ms Ranaut on charges of deliberately hurting the community's religious sentiments.