Union Minister Narayan Rane, who was arrested in Maharashtra over his "slap Uddhav Thackeray" comment and granted bail late last evening, has been asked to appear before the police in Nashik on September 2.
One of the four FIRs against Narayan Rane has been filed in Nashik. The notice issued late last night asks the minister to "appear at 12 noon" next Thursday.
Mr Rane, 69, was arrested over his controversial comment on Uddhav Thackeray at a public meeting on Monday during his "Jan Aashirwad Yatra".
The BJP leader claimed that the Maharashtra Chief Minister forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address and had to check with his aide mid-speech.
"It is shameful that the Chief Minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to ask about the count of years of independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given him a tight slap," Mr Rane said, in remarks that sparked huge Shiv Sena protests.
Around 9.45 pm, hours after his dramatic arrest while he was having lunch, Mr Rane argued at a court in Raigad that he was arrested on politically motivated charges without proper notice. He also cited his health and the fact that he is a Cabinet Minister.
Reports say the Raigad court judge felt "the arrest was justified" and, in the bail order, said Mr Rane "should not commit a similar type of offence". The order also directed him not to tamper with evidence or "directly or indirectly make an inducement threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case".
AdvertisementThe Maharashtra government had sought seven-day police custody for the BJP leader saying it was important to investigate if there was a conspiracy to tarnish the reputation of the Chief Minister.
