SC asks Raj Thackeray to desist from hate speeches

The Supreme Court today asked MNS chief Raj Thackeray to desist from making provocative speeches targeting north Indians which has led to several criminal cases being lodged against him in different parts of the country.

"This (filing of criminal cases) will continue against you. Why don't you stop this sort of things. You go on making such statements," a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice B S Chauhan said.

The observations by the Bench was made during the petition filed by Thackeray seeking shifting of the three cases filed in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand recently against him to the national capital.

 "What is the guarantee that in future you will not make such statements," the Bench said while issuing notices to those who have filed private complaints against the MNS chief for his alleged action and speeches promoting animosity among citizens.

The case filed in Mandasor in Madhya Pradesh was in connection with the incident in which Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi was slapped by MNS legislators in the Maharashtra Assembly allegedly at the instance of Thackeray.

The other two cases have been filed against him in Aurangabad in Bihar and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand for his alleged inflammatory speeches against north Indians.