‘Slap slur’ case: Raigad court grants bail to Narayan Rane

Mumbai:- In a big relief, a Raigad Magistrate late on Tuesday granted bail to arrested Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane in a case pertaining to his ‘slap slur’ against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The development came around 8 hours after Rane’s dramatic arrest by a police posse from his camp in Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri, from where he was whisked off to a Raigad court late in the evening.

The Central minister was nabbed – a first ever for the state – after multiple cases were filed against him in various districts for his ‘slap slur’ targeting Thackeray.

Leader of Opposition (Council) Pravin Darekar and other leaders welcomed the verdict and said it was on expected lines as Rane’s arrest was illegal and it was a politically motivated case.

BJP ex-minister Sudhir Mungantiwar termed it as a victory of democracy and a defeat of the ‘Talibani mentality’ of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

“The state government will have to pay a price for insulting the constitutional tenets of B.R. Ambedkar,” Mungantiwar said.

Meanwhile, Rane is expected to walk out free a short while later after completing the legal formalities, much to the relief of his wife Neelam, sons Nilesh and Nitesh, besides a large number of supporters.

Maha CM to Hold Crucial Meeting at His Residence

A crucial meeting will begin shortly at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s official residence Varsha in Mumbai. The meeting will be attended by top leaders of Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government in the state to discuss about matters related to Union Minister Narayan Rane’s arrest throughout the day.

Those who will be present in the meeting with Thackeray are – State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan and Nana Patole.