Mumbai, June 29: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray was on Monday arrested after he surrendered before a Kalyan court in connection with a 2008 riot case, in which North Indians appearing for railway recruitment examination were assaulted.
The Bombay High Court had issued a directive to Raj to surrender before the court.
After presenting himself before the court, Thackeray, who was accompanied by his wife, moved an application saying he was surrendering. He has now been taken to the Kalyan Railway Police Station.
Thackeray’s lawyer has moved a bail plea which will be heard at 13:00 hrs. The court will hear the prosecution and the leader before deciding the bail plea.
The High Court had on June 16 set aside an anticipatory bail granted to Raj in the same case by a lower court and asked him to surrender before the court concerned by June end.
The state government had filed an appeal in the High Court challenging interim anticipatory bail granted to the MNS leader. Justice Rekha Sondurbaldota had noted that custodial interrogation of Raj was not necessary at this stage.
Upholding the state government’s contention that the Kalyan Sessions Court’s order granting anticipatory bail to MNS chief had become infructuous as he had already been arrested by the railway police, the High Court quashed the lower court order granting interim protection to Raj.
The matter pertains to assault by MNS workers on North Indian youths who had come to Kalyan for railway recruitment examination on October 19 last year.
–Agencies–