Don’t give Raj undue advantage, say judges

The Bombay High Court on Monday told a petitioner that he should not accord too much importance to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar, hearing a contempt plea, “told me that I had filed a petition against a person who always speaks against the court for cheap publicity. They [the judges] said I was giving him undue advantage by filing such a petition,” lawyer Ejaz Naqvi told The Hindu .

Mr. Naqvi’s petition objected to Mr. Thackeray’s remarks, aired on television, criticising the court’s refusal to permit him to hold a rally at the Shivaji Park here.

The Bench, however, did not take a serious view of the petition. Referring to the case of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, the court said if the media did not report Mr. Thackeray’s statements, nobody would know what he was saying.

The Bench would consider the petition at a later date.