Sena leader files breach of privilege notice against Kangana
Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik has filed a Breach of Special Privileges notice against actor Kangana Ranaut over her tweet. The notice has been issued against Kangana after the 33-year-old actor tweeted saying that a Pakistani credit card has been recovered from the politician during searches by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Sarnaik was last week questioned by ED for alleged money laundering. Here's more.
According to Sarnaik's notice, Kangana had said in a tweet, "Those who were threatening me to break my face, now Pakistani credit card is seized from their residence in ED raid." Sarnaik, on the other hand, has claimed that the ED has not found anything illegal at his properties. He said that Kangana's tweet has tarnished his image.
The Sena leader has now requested the Principal Secretary to forward his notice to the Privilege Committee of the Maharashtra Assembly so that an inquiry against Kangana and the concerned news organizations could be initiated. Earlier too, a privilege motion was moved against the actor.
A case was filed against Sarnaik after Ramesh Iyyer, a former employee of Tops Group, accused him of money laundering. He has claimed that some of the money paid by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for supply of 350 to 500 security guards earlier in 2014, went to the private accounts of the Sena leader.
However, the Shiv Sena has alleged that the investigation by the ED is a result of political rivalry. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said, "The central agencies are working as if they are domestic help of the Centre...People are intelligent and watching these developments." Sarnaik was last week questioned for more than six hours in connection with this case.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Kangana has landed into legal trouble this year. In October, a police complaint was filed against the actor and her sister for "objectionable comments" on social media allegedly aimed at creating a communal divide. Kangana and her sister have since been asked by the Bombay High Court to appear before Mumbai Police on January 8.
Separately, Kangana also recently received a legal notice from an advocate in Punjab, asking for apology over a "misleading" tweet. Apart from the lawyer, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) also issued a legal notice against Kangana which stated, "Calling the aged mother of a farmer as a woman available for Rs. 100 is derogatory...We demand an unconditional apology from her."
