The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest of Karni Sena member Okendra Singh Rana in connection with two FIRs filed over the alleged attack on the Agra residence of Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman, following a controversial parliamentary remark on 16th-century Rajput king Rana Sanga.
The division bench of Justices Siddharth and Harvir Singh, in its interim order dated June 19, directed that Rana not be arrested in either case, subject to his cooperation with the ongoing investigation. The court clarified that if credible evidence emerges against him, the investigating officer is permitted to arrest him in compliance with the Supreme Court’s guidelines in Arnesh Kumar vs State of Bihar.
The attack on Suman’s residence took place on March 27, days after the MP remarked in Parliament that Rana Sanga had invited Mughal emperor Babur to India to defeat Ibrahim Lodi. The statement sparked outrage among Rajput groups, including the Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha and the Karni Sena, who saw it as an affront to Rajput history.
Following the attack, an FIR was registered by Randhir Suman, son of the MP and a former MLA, at Hariparwat police station in Agra. A second FIR was lodged on June 1 by a sub-inspector assigned to the MP’s security.
Rana challenged both FIRs before the High Court, seeking protection from arrest. His counsel argued that Rana was not named in the original complaints and has been falsely implicated during the course of the investigation.
While issuing notice to the first informant, the court posted the matter for further hearing after six weeks. The stay on arrest, however, remains conditional on Rana’s full cooperation with the probe.
