Mumbai: Referring to an alleged threat given by Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut to actor Kangana Ranaut in an interview, the Bombay High Court asked Tuesday if this was the way a parliamentarian should react. Sanjay Raut has been made a respondent to the petition filed by Ranaut against the demolition carried out at her bungalow here September 9 by the Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
“Even we don’t agree with a word of what the petitioner (Ranaut) has said. But is this the way to address?” asked a division bench of Justices SJ Kathawalla and RI Chagla.
“We are also Maharashtrians. We are all proud Maharashtrians. But we don’t go and break someone’s house. Is this the way to react? Don’t you have any grace?” the bench also asked.
The Bombay High Court, which stayed the demolition, is now conducting a final hearing on the actor’s petition. In the petition Ranaut has sought damages of Rs 2 crore for the ‘illegal’ action.
Raut, earlier during the hearing Tuesday, submitted an affidavit where he denied that he had threatened Ranaut. While he had made a reference to Ranaut, it ‘wasn’t in the way that the petitioner had alleged’, it said.
In an interview to a news channel, Raut had allegedly used an objectionable word while referring to the actor. He had further said ‘What is law? Ukhad denge (we will demolish it)’.
“You are a parliamentarian. You have no respect for the law? You ask what is law?” the bench shot back.
Raut’s lawyer conceded that the Rajya Sabha member should have been more responsible. “He should not have said that. But there was no threatening message. He only said that the petitioner is very dishonest….That was a remark made after the petitioner said that Maharashtra is not safe,” she said.