HC notice to cops on Raj Thackeray's plea for quashing complaints

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today sought the response of Delhi Police on MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s plea for quashing three complaints and subsequent proceedings initiated against him for his alleged anti-Bihari remarks in 2008. Justice Sunil Gaur issued notices to the three private complainants, including a lawyer, who hail from Champaran in Bihar and Ranchi and Jamtara in Jharkhand and sought their response by 16 April. Thackeray, who has been facing trial following several private complaints at various places including Bihar and Jharkhand for his alleged hate remarks, has moved the high court questioning the jurisdiction of the trial courts in Bihar to take cognisance of the private complaints against him. [caption id=“attachment_616189” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] AFP[/caption] He has alleged in his plea that the courts in Bihar and Jharkhand had no jurisdiction to take cognisance as he lives in Mumbai. Appearing for Thackeray, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted that complaints have been lodged in different places in Bihar and Jharkhand under various sections of IPC against his client who stays in Mumbai. Rohatgi argued that the courts had not followed procedure and had taken cognisance “which is bad in law.” “Initiation of proceedings and their continuation infringes the fundamental rights of my client,” the counsel said. In his plea, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief said, “Proceedings have been initiated to harass, humiliate and intimidate me. Filing of complaints is politically motivated.” He sought that the court to pass an order “to frame necessary guidelines with regard to filing of complaints, taking cognisance of offences in cases where the accused stays outside the jurisdiction of trial court, so that frivolous petitions cannot be entertained.” Thackeray, in his plea, has said that courts in Champaran Ranchi and Jamtara had taken cognisance, between the period from December 2008 to January 2009, of the complaints against him for his alleged remarks. All the cases against him for the alleged hate speech made by him in 2008 were transferred to a Delhi court in January 2010 by the Supreme Court after the MNS chief had moved the apex court to club the cases. On 30 January, this year, the high court had stayed the execution of non-bailable warrants (NBWs) issued against Thackeray in 2008 for his alleged anti-Bihari remarks. Thackeray is to appear before the trial court here on 30 April. PTI