Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday raised questions over the maintainability of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an FIR against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and his party workers for alleged attacks on Hindi-speaking citizens. The petition also demanded derecognition of the MNS.
A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad asked petitioner Ghanshyam Upadhyaya to first establish how the PIL was maintainable. The court said the matter would be taken up in due course and adjourned the hearing.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Subhash Jha argued that MNS workers had been targeting Hindi-speaking citizens across cities like Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Pune. He submitted that such incidents were not isolated and were linked to upcoming civic elections.
The PIL alleged that Raj Thackeray was inciting hostility against people from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. It cited instances of physical assaults, destruction of shops, and threats to those unable to speak Marathi. The plea also referred to a July 2025 rally where Thackeray allegedly justified violence against non-Marathi speakers.
The petition connected the issue to the state government’s April 2025 resolution making Hindi compulsory as a third language in primary schools. It claimed Thackeray’s opposition was politically motivated and aimed at electoral gains in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls.
The plea urged the authorities to register FIRs under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sought the Election Commission’s intervention for derecognition of the MNS.
