Raj Thackeray secures bail after arrest

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray secured a transit bail from a Mumbai court shortly after his arrest on Saturday afternoon on a a Jamshedpur court's non-bailable warrant against him.
Accordingly, Thackeray will not be required to appear before a Jamshedpur court, which issued the warrant for his allegedly defamatory statements against people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, Thackeray went to the Mazagaon court to surrender, following which he was arrested.
The Jamshedpur police have sought from the court permission for his remand after lawyer Hamid Reza Khan accused Thackeray of hurting religious sentiments of a section of society.
Besides, at least 59 cases have been filed against the MNS chief in various parts of India.
An MNS office-bearer told IANS the party would seek a transfer of all these cases to a single court in Jharkhand or in Mumbai.
Incidentally, unlike in October when MNS activists went on a rampage all over Maharashtra following Thackeray’s arrest, the legal formality against him Saturday passed off peacefully with a token police presence around the court premises.
Since last year, Thackeray, estranged nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, and his supporters have been campaigning against people from north India, particularly from Bihar and Uttar pradesh, who come to the state in search of jobs.