Can't use such language, can't break someone's house: Bombay High Court pulls up Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut over Kangana Ranaut row

The Bombay High Court was conducting a final hearing on Kangana's plea, which has sought damages of Rs 2 crore for the 'illegal' action carried out by the BMC at her 'Manikarnika' office in Bandra on September 9.

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MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (September 29) pulled up Shiv Sena leader Sanajy Raut over the controversial remark directed at Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut and demanded to know if it was appropriate behaviour for a parliamentarian.

"Even we don't agree with a word of what the petitioner (Kangana Ranaut) has said. But is this the way to address? 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?" a division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and R I Chagla asked Raut, who is a senior figure in Shiv Sena.

The High Court, which stayed the demolition, is now conducting a final hearing on the actor's petition which has sought damages of Rs 2 crore for the 'illegal' action carried out by the BMC at her 'Manikarnika' office in Bandra on September 9. Kangana office by demolished by the BMC days after she drew comparision of Mumbai to PoK. 

Earlier during the hearing on Tuesday, Raut submitted an affidavit where he denied that he had threatened Kangana. While he had made a reference to Kangana, it 'wasn't in the way that the petitioner had alleged', it said.

At this the court said that at least Raut accepted that he had been talking about Ranaut in the interview, as at an earlier hearing, his lawyer had denied that Raut had made any reference to her at all.

In an interview to a newschannel, Raut had allegedly used an objectionable word while referring to the actor, and 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 said.

Raut's lawyer conceded that the Rajya Sabha member should have been more responsible.

The BMC's 'H' ward officer Bhagyawant Late, also made a respondent to the case, stated that Ranaut's allegations of malice against him and the BMC were an attempt to divert the attention from the illegal construction at her Pali Hill bungalow.

But the court asked what the BMC was doing when the alleged illegal construction going on. "Why did you wait to take any action until September 5 or September 7? You had turned a blind eye to it," the bench said.

Ranaut's counsel Dr Birendra Saraf reiterated that the actor had not constructed anything illegally, and even if there were some irregularities, those could have been regularised by the civic body.

Saraf had alleged earlier that the BMC carried out the demolition out of malice and vendetta after Ranaut made some comments against the Mumbai police that irked the Shiv Sena- led government in Maharashtra.

The court adjourned the hearing to October 5.

(With inputs from PTI)