Mumbai | The Bombay High Court, on Monday, instructed the Maharashtra government and the Election Commission of India to submit their responses to a petition demanding the registration of an FIR, against MNS chief Raj Thackeray over allegations that he assaulted individuals for not using Marathi.
The PIL was filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay, who asserted that Thackeray and members of his party had repeatedly targeted people, who do not speak Marathi and often focused on individuals, who migrated from other regions of the country. The petition also requested intervention and appropriate steps from the Election Commission.
Representing the petitioner, advocate Subhash Jha argued that such actions by the MNS typically escalate during the build up to elections.
A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, ordered both the state government and the Election Commission to file their affidavits within four weeks.
The court also instructed the petitioner to remove references that label communities by region noting that the expression hate speech alone conveyed the point adequately.
According to the petition Raj Thackeray allegedly provoked acts of violence during a rally on July 5 by urging supporters to strike individuals who do not speak Marathi below the ear.
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