Court admits MNS chief's plea, grants time till Nov 7

Mumbai, Oct 23 (UNI) The Metropolitan Magistrate's court at Vikhroli today admitted an application filed by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, seeking time to file his reply on a showcause notice issued to him by the court.

In the show cause notice, the court has asked Raj to reply why the bail granted to him in February this year in a case pertaining to his alleged statements against north Indians should not be cancelled.

In his application, Mr Thackeray's lawyer submitted that he (Mr Thackeray) was in police custody for almost two days after being arrested by police and so he did not get any time to brief the lawyer in this connection.

The court admitted the application and granted time till November seven to file the reply.

The police had yesterday moved an application before the Magistrate's court in Vikhroli seeking cancellation of Mr Thackeray's bail in the case on a government plea, a day after he was arrested from Ratnagiri in connection with the attack on north Indian candidates by MNS activists during a Railway Recruitment exam on October 19.

The Vikhroli Court had issued a notice to Raj Thackeray asking why his bail should not be cancelled as he has allegedly flouted the condition laid down by the court while granting him bail, the defence lawyer said.

The court had sought a reply from the MNS leader by today.

After he was granted bail by a Magistrate's court in suburban Bandra on Octber 21, Raj was taken into custody by the Manpada Police in another case. He spent the night in Manpada police station at Dombivli in Thane district.

Yesterday, he was granted bail by Kalyan court, which also granted him interim relief till tomorrow in Government Railway Police (GRP) rampage case filed by Kalyan station railway police.

UNI ST SSS AKJ SB KP1623