The Bombay High Court on Monday questioned the maintainability of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray over alleged assaults on citizens for not speaking Marathi.
The PIL, filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay through lawyer Subhash Jha, accused Thackeray and his party workers of repeatedly targeting non-Marathi-speaking citizens, particularly those from North India. Jha argued that such incidents often surface before elections and cited a Supreme Court ruling which directs states to curb political violence with a firm hand.
He added that complaints had already been submitted to the Election Commission of India, State Election Commission, and senior police officials, demanding action and even de-recognition of MNS. “These are not isolated incidents but rampant, especially with civic elections approaching,” Jha told the bench.
A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, however, observed that the affected citizens themselves should have approached the court instead of a PIL. “Why a PIL?” the judges asked, while noting that the matter would need to be heard in detail.
Earlier, Upadhyay had moved the Supreme Court seeking derecognition of MNS, alleging that the party routinely threatens national unity. He cited Thackeray’s July 5 rally, where the MNS chief allegedly urged followers to “hit below the eardrums” of those who refused to speak Marathi, while mocking states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan over their economic struggles. The apex court had directed Upadhyay to approach the high court, leading to the current petition.
The PIL will now come up for hearing in due course.
