Bombay High Court Questions Maintainability Of PIL Seeking FIR Against Raj Thackeray & Derecognition Of His Party

The Bombay High Court on Monday questioned the maintainability of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking registration of FIR against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and his party workers and even derecognition of his party for allegedly assaulting Hindi speaking citizens and imposing Marathi on them. A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad asked the petitioner Ghanshyam Upadhyaya to first satisfy the court on the issue of maintainability of the PIL petition. The judges said that they would be hearing the PIL in due course and adjourned the matter for hearing. Appearing for Upadhyay, advocate Subhash Jha submitted that MNS party workers have been harassing Hindi speaking individuals in major cities like Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Pune etc. "How can partymen take laws in their hands? It is affecting the unity and integrity of our country...Milords, must note that these are not some solitary incidents but such incidents of assaulting Hindi speaking people are rampant, especially now, when there are civic elections," Jha submitted. The bench, however, said it would first hear Jha on the point of maintainability of the PIL and said a date would be given for hearing the matter in due course. In the petition, Upadhyay has pointed out that the State had issued a Government Resolution on April 16, 2025 regarding three language policy in primary schools and making Hindi as a compulsory third language in Primary Schools across Maharashtra. This decision, the petition states gave an opportunity to two warring cousins for more than two decades viz. Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, to come together and form an alliance based on the agenda of opposing introduction of Hindi language in primary schools as a third language, which undoubtedly has an avowed object which needs to be achieved. "There has to be one common language all over the country and Hindi since is widely spoken in many parts of the country and is comparatively an easy language to speak, it is a natural choice to have Hindi as our national language. However, it is sad that even after nearly 78 years of our independence, Hindi is not our national language and therefore, the Government of India for the first and foremost must ensure that Hindi is made the national language," the PIL reads. According to the PIL, Raj Thackeray is desperate to occupy some seats in forthcoming election of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), desired to encash the opportunity of Hindi being introduced third language and in the process, he has been making fiery speeches from time to time against Hindi speaking people who are from Hindi speaking states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan etc. and who have settled in Maharashtra and more particularly, in the cities of Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Pune etc. "He has been promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of place of birth, residence and language which is prejudicial not only to the maintenance of harmony, but also endangering to sovereignly, unity and integrity of India. The speeches made by Thackeray instigate people to come on the street and something which was started as opposing Hindi, has led to Marathi being imposed on people who do not speak Marathi or have come from other states," the petition reads. In a rally organised on or about July 5, 2025 as Awaj Marathicha, he justified people who do not speak Marathi to be hit below their eardrums. "At Thackeray's instance, his goons/political workers have been beating, assaulting and lynching the people belonging to the states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and have been even dismantling/destroying establishments/shops etc. With regard to an incident their business in which a businessman from Rajasthan settled at Mira-Bhayander are of Thane was beaten up for not able to speak in Marathi and which had led to a massive outrage and agitation in the said district," the plea points out further. Since acts of omissions and commissions of Thackeray and his party workers constitute the cognisable offences punishable under sections 152, 196, 197, 299, 353 (1) (b) (c), 353 (i) (c) and 353 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Petitioner made a representation on July 10, 2025 to the Prime Minister and Home Minister and also to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, concerned police authorities and Election Commission of India (ECI) and also the State Election Commission (SEC) with a prayer to forthwith register an FIR in the matter against Thackeray and others and even de-recognition of his political party.

Bombay High Court Questions Maintainability Of PIL Seeking FIR Against Raj Thackeray & Derecognition Of His Party

Narsi Benwal

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