Bombay HC stays arrest warrant against Raj

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court on Wednesday stayed the arrest warrant against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray till January 4, 2010.

The Badnapur JMFC court had issued the arrest warrant against Raj in connection to a stone pelting incident at a bus near Hirvi Phata in Badnapur of Jalna district on October 21 in 2008.

Justice S S Shinde of the Aurangabad bench passed the order and advocate Sagar Ladda appeared for Raj. Notably, Badnapur police had registered a case against Raj under sections 336,143,109, 114 of the Indian Penal Code, on October 21 in 2008.

Bus driver Ambadas Telangare had filed a complaint, stating that 10 to 15 unidentified youths hurled stones at the bus he was driving near the Hirvi phata. The police had chargesheeted Raj in the matter as the activists who hurled stones at the bus were shouting pro-MNS slogans.

On December 5 in 2009, JMFC judge Satyavan Doke issued a non- bailable arrest warrant against Raj and also rejected the plea to stay it. Raj's lawyer Sagar Ladda had argued that Raj is being falsely implicated in the matter as he was arrested by the Kherwadi police in Mumbai from a guest house in Ratnagiri, on the same day when the said incident took place. He was not on the spot, the lawyer arguef.

Ladda appealed to the court to set aside the non-bailable arrest warrant against Raj and quash the proceedings before the JMFC, Badnapur. Meanwhile, on December 21, JMFC Satyavan Doke of Badnapur in Jalna district had passed strictures against the police for not arresting Raj and issued notice to the police inspector of Badnapur police station for delay in producing Raj before the court.