BMC team visits Ranas' Mumbai flat for 'inspection', but finds it locked

A team of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) visited Independent MP Navneet Rana and her husband and MLA Ravi Rana's apartment in suburban Khar here for inspection but found it locked, an official said. The legislator couple, arrested last month amid a row caused by their announcement that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's residence here, got bail earlier in the day. There was a complaint about illegal construction on the eighth floor of the Lavie building where the Ranas have an apartment, the official said.

A team of seven to eight officials visited the building around 12.30 pm but the Ranas' apartment was locked, so the team returned without conducting inspection, he told PTI. The team will visit the house again on Thursday or Friday, he said. On May 2, the H Ward office of the BMC had issued a notice to the society and occupiers of the eighth floor under section 488 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, over a complaint of illegal construction. As per section 488, BMC officials can enter any premises for the purpose of inspection, survey or execution of necessary work. The notice had stated that BMC officials may visit the house on May 4 or thereafter.

The couple was arrested on April 23 by the Mumbai police under various provisions of the IPC, including sedition and 'promoting enmity between groups', even after they dropped their plan to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Thackeray residence. On Wednesday, a court allowed their bail plea.