HC lashes out at Mah govt over Marathi signboard threat

Mumbai, Aug 28 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today lashed out at the Maharashtra government over the threat given by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on displaying the Marathi signboard on the shops and establishments in the metropolis.

Secretary of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) Viren Shah today filed a petition seeking direction to take action against Raj Thackeray for circulating a threatening letter to the shopkeepers to display signboards in Marathi, failing which the MNS activists would ''teach them a lesson in their own way''.

The Division Bench, consisting of Justices J N Patel and K K Tated, while hearing the petition, asked the state government to provide details of the preventive action the state has taken in response to the MNS deadline for Marathi signboards, which ended today.

The court also came down heavily on the state over its alleged failure in tackling the MNS activists and asked them to announce a compensation package to the shopskeepers, who were targeted by the MNS for not displaying boards in Marathi.

The court also called the Additional Chief Secretary from the Home Department to make a statement over the issue at 1500 hrs before the court.

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