A court in Thane district has granted interim protection from arrest till April 25 to Marathi rapper Raj Mungse in a case registered for allegedly defaming the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government through his video song. Granting interim relief to Mungse, Additional Sessions Judge in Kalyan, RG Waghmare on Wednesday directed the Ambernath police, which registered the offense against the rapper, to submit their reply on his plea seeking anticipatory bail. The court will hear the matter on April 25.
An official had earlier said that a Shiv Sena worker in Thane district’s Ambernath lodged a complaint against rap singer Mungse over a song uploaded on YouTube recently, in which “Panna Khoke” (fifty cans) and ” Words like “chor” (thief) were used. , An FIR was lodged against Mungse earlier this month at the Shivajinagar police station under Indian Penal Code sections 501 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult likely to provoke breach of the peace) and 505 (2) (statements creating enmity between classes) was registered. in Ambernath.
Leaders loyal to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray have often accused the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena legislators, who revolted last year, of calling the Thackeray government “thieves” and “khokes” or cartoners of money. brought in the form to change sides.
Shinde had become the chief minister last year with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but the Shiv Sena split. The rapper said in his plea that his video song is against the injustice meted out to the common people and is not targeted against any particular person.
Mungse said that he is raising social issues through his art. He also said that since his video was in the public domain, the police need not arrest him and his custodial interrogation is not necessary. The rap singer also said that the registration of an offense itself is curtailing the democratic rights of citizens relating to freedom of speech and expression, which are guaranteed under the Constitution.
After the case was registered against Mungse, Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad shared the rapper’s video song on Twitter and said that he hoped the police would not arrest him. In another tweet, Awhad questioned what crime Mungse had committed.