Arrest warrant against Raj Thackeray

A local court on Saturday issued a warrant of arrest against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for his failure to turn up to answer accusation of having hurt Bihari sensibilities by his remark on 'Chhath' festival.
    
First Class Judicial magistrate Ram Surat directed the Mumbai police to ensure execution of his arrest order at the earliest.

The magisterial order came after the petitioner pleaded for a warrant on the ground that Thackeray did not turn up before the court two months after it had issued summons to him.
    
The magistrate acted on a petition filed by advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha on Thakeray's remarks made on January 31 last year.

Ojha had alleged violation of section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of IPC by Thackeray.

The chief judicial magistrate J K Sinha took cognizance of Ojha's complaint on December 15 last year and referred the matter to the court of Ram Surat.

Surat had on December 22, 2008, issued summons to Raj Thackeray through the Mumbai metropolitan magistrate but the MNS leader failed to comply with the order.