Raj Thackeray appears before court, gets warrant cancelled

Mumbai, June 13: A local court on June 12 cancelled the warrant issued against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray after he appeared in a case registered against him for violence during Railway Recruitment Board examinations at a college in suburban Bandra in October 2008.

The warrant was issued on June 10 as Thackeray had failed to appear before the Bandra court. However, he appeared today following which the warrant was cancelled.

In a related development, Thackeray urged for discharge in the case saying that he was not present when the violence broke out in the college during the examination. He also argued that he had no role to play in the violence.

The court has asked the prosecutor to file his say on the discharge application filed by Thackeray on July 1. The police had in November 2009 filed a charge sheet against the MNS chief and 20 party activists.

The charge sheet had mentioned 31 witnesses, of which 14 were Maharashtrians. According to the statements of witnesses, which are part of the charge sheet filed before the magistrate's court, MNS activists barged into the college premises, raised slogans, tore question papers and answer sheets and assaulted some candidates.

The MNS had then alleged that the Railways had not informed "locals" about the exams but had placed ads in newspapers in North India.

The accused have been booked under sections 142, 144, 145 (all pertaining to unlawful assembly), 153(A) (promoting enmity between groups), 153(B) (acts prejudicial to national integration), 336 (endangering life or safety), 342 (wrongful confinement), 352 (assault) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

PTI