The Rana couple was arrested last month
A notice has been issued to independent legislators MP Navneet Rana and her husband, MLA Ravi Rana, after the Mumbai Police appealed to a court that their bail be cancelled. The police claimed the couple violated their bail conditions by speaking to the media about the case ahead of their visit to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Mumbai Sessions Court has asked the Ranas to file their reply by May 18, which will be heard the same day.
The couple was arrested last month for attempting to create disturbance by challenging Shiv Sainiks to stop them after announcing that they would read the Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence, Matoshree.
Special Public Prosecutor advocate Pradeep Gharat told NDTV that their statements to the media amount to a clear contempt of court and they are in breach of their bail conditions. While granting bail to the Rana couple on May 4, the court had put the condition that they would not speak to the media regarding the case, he said.
Dismissing the allegations, Navneet Rana had said, "We did not talk about the offence, how it was registered against us, reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa' and Matoshree. We spoke about how I was ill-treated from the lockup to jail and how my health issues were avoided (ignored)," she said.
Before leaving for Delhi, Navneet Rana -- the Independent MP from Amravati, Maharashtra -- had told reporters at the Mumbai airport that they were "openly threatened by a goon-like MP".
"I will go and file an FIR (First Information Report) against Sanjay Raut, known in the state Popat (parrot), who said that he will bury me 20-feet deep," she said.
Accompanied by her husband, Ms Rana told reporters that they were going to Delhi to "meet all the leaders who respect women".
"I am going to meet the prime minister, (Union) home minister and Lok Sabha Speaker and tell them how we were ill-treated from a lockup to jail. I am going to complain about it," she said.
Arrested on April 23 for attempting to create a law and order situation, the Ranas were granted bail after more than a week in jail. The court said the sedition charge against them does not hold in the bail order.
After their release, Navneet Rana was admitted to a private hospital. Her lawyer said she complained of high blood pressure, body-ache and spondylitis. She was discharged from the hospital on Sunday.