Raj Thackeray gets bail, reaches home

Mumbai, Oct 22: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has again been granted bail minutes after being remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a Kalyan court in the case of attack against North Indians.

The Thane police produced Raj before a magistrate's court in Kalyan where he was granted bail on payment of Rs 15,000.

The court also heard the case filed by Government Railway Police, which had approached the court with an arrest warrant in Raj’s name, also granted anticipatory bail to him till October 24.

The magistrate's court granted Thackeray interim relief until October 24 in the GRP case and ordered him to pay a bail amount of Rs 25,000, Raj's lawyer Sayaji Nagre told agencies.

Soon after the court's order, Thackeray left for home with his wife and supporters.

The MNS chief was taken to the Kalyan court from Manpada police station in Thane district’s Dombivili town, where he was kept overnight after being arrested by the Mumbai Police. Raj was taken into custody by the Mumbai Police in Ratnagiri yesterday and charged with provoking hatred among communities and endangering public safety.

The authorities in Kalyan have imposed Section 144 (preventive curfew) in parts of the town beginning 11.00 am to ensure peace. Earlier in the day, police resorted to lathi charge and fired teargas to disperse MNS supporters gathered outside the Kalyan court. Further, arson was also reported from Bihar’s Barh where two A/C bogies of an Express train were set on fire by angry students.

In New Delhi, the Lok Sabha also witnessed uproar over violence in parts of Maharashtra following Raj’s arrest.

Also, a Vikroli court today issued a notice to Raj, asking him why his bail should not be cancelled. The court instructed the MNS chief to reply within a day. The court issued the notice to Raj, saying he violated a condition attached with the bail not to make inciting speeches.

Raj’s wife also sat on a dharna along with several other MNS supporters outside the Manpada police station, where he was kept overnight.

The situation in Mumbai and other parts of the state, meanwhile, is tense with reports of sporadic violence from parts of the city. MNS activists had gone on the rampage here and in many parts of the state yesterday after their chief’s arrest.

Raj, whose arrest was effected by the Maharashtra government in four separate cases, spent the night in lock-up despite being granted bail by a Bandra court yesterday.

Raj, who had dared the Vilasrao Deshmukh government to arrest him, was produced before the metropolitan court in Bandra yesterday, which remanded him to 14-day judicial custody in connection with the attack on North Indian candidates who were appearing for a railway recruitment examination in Kherwadi on Sunday. However, Raj's lawyer immediately moved a bail application after which the court granted him bail on furnishing a bond of Rs 15,000.

But the Kalyan Police quickly took him back in custody for a similar case in neighbouring Dombivili, in Thane district and whisked him away.

Since he could not reach Kalyan in time yesterday, Raj was produced before the court today.

While granting the bail yesterday, Metropolitan Magistrate GR Wankhede asked Thackeray to refrain from threatening or influencing witnesses in any manner, avoid creating any violent situation, and also report for an hour to the Kherwadi Police station for seven days, daily at 11.00 am to help with the investigations.

Raj has four cases registered against him for attack on non-Maharashtrians, including those at Kherwadi and Kanjurmarg in Mumbai and ones at Thane and Dombivili, special public prosecutor in the Kherwadi case Majid Memon said.

In Kherwadi case, Thackeray has been charged with provoking riot, assaulting public servants, endangering public safety of others, causing mischief and damage to property.

Shortly after the arrest yesterday, MNS activists went on a rampage in parts of Mumbai, Nashik, Solapur and Kolhapur attacking shops and pelting stones at scores of buses and taxis. A toll booth in Mulund was targeted and one of the counters was set on fire, police said.

Police made about 2,000 preventive arrests and resorted to lathi charge at several places.

MNS activists had attacked North Indians candidates who appeared in railway board examination at a centre in Kherwadi in Bandra here on Sunday. Similar attacks took place in neighbouring Thane and Kalyan too.

On Tuesday, the police also imposed a two-month gag order on Raj, thus preventing him from addressing public rallies and talking to the media.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil yesterday said that the Centre had sent at least three advisories to the Maharashtra government in the wake of attacks on North Indians by MNS activists.

The Maharashtra Cabinet earlier today approved an ordinance under which those destroying public property would be penalised and forced to compensate.

The ordinance, approved by the Cabinet, will now be sent to the state Governor for ratification, after which it will come into force.