Mandsaur court issues notices to Raj, four MNS legislators

Taking cognisance of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) attack on Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi for taking oath in Hindi, a local court has issued notices against party chief Raj Thackeray and four suspended party MLAs.

Chief judicial magistrate RR Badodiya issued notices yesterday against Raj Thackeray and four other MLAs — Shishir Shinde, Ramesh Wanjale, Vasant Gite and Ram Kadam and asked them to appear before the court on December 14 for hearing on a petition filed by one Pukhraj Dashora.

Dashora in his petition said that he was hurt by the reports of MNS attack on Azmi for taking oath in Hindi in the Maharashtra Assembly and described it as a "gross insult to the national language and also an attack on national integration."

The magistrate took cognisance of the petition under section 153 (a) of the IPC for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, language, place of birth, residence and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.