Beed’s Parli District Court on Friday has issued a non-bailable warrant against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray in a 2008 case for allegedly making inflammatory speeches.
In another development, a petition was filed before the Bombay High Court seeking direction to the Maharashtra government and the Mumbai police to register an FIR under the charges of sedition and creating public nuisance against the MNS supremo for the Aurangabad rally on May 1.
On April 6, the Judicial Magistrate, First Class, Shirala in Sangli district filed issued a non-bailable warrant against Raj Thackeray for the 2008 case wherein he was booked under Sections 116 (Abetment of an offense), 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons) and 153 and Section 135 of the Bombay Police Act for allegedly making inflammatory speeches. However, the Mumbai police failed to execute the order even when the hearing was on April 28.
Raj Thackeray had taken up the issue on loudspeakers used in religious places and called for a complete ban in Maharashtra terming it as a social nuisance. He had urged his supporters to play Hanuman Chalisa wherever the call of azaan was heard over the loudspeaker. Heeding to his call, few of his supporters played Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeaker on Wednesday in front of a mosque in Mumbai’s Charkop area after the MNS chief’s May 3rd deadline to remove all loudspeakers from religious places.
Addressing a mega rally in Aurangabad, which Raj Thackeray termed as “Hindu Jananayak”, he said, “I won’t be responsible for what all happens after the May 3 deadline to remove the loudspeakers from the mosques,” he said.
“If they (Muslims) don’t understand nicely, we will show them the power of Maharashtra,” he further added.
