Today, On 19th July, A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court against MNS chief Raj Thackeray, accusing him of inciting violence and spreading hatred against Hindi-speaking people amid the ongoing Marathi vs Hindi language controversy in Maharashtra.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed on Saturday in the Supreme Court against Raj Thackeray, the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), accusing him of inciting violence and fostering animosity towards Hindi-speaking individuals.
The petition, submitted by Advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay, calls for the registration of an FIR against Thackeray and his party members due to their alleged role in escalating tensions surrounding the language issue in Maharashtra.
This legal action follows multiple incidents where MNS workers are accused of assaulting individuals and vandalizing property over language disputes, particularly targeting those who do not speak Marathi.
During a rally in Mira Bhayandar on Friday, Thackeray vehemently opposed any effort to make Hindi mandatory in Maharashtra schools. In response to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s comments about implementing a three-language policy, Thackeray warned that his party would “shut down schools” if Hindi were imposed on students from Classes 1 to 5. He also claimed that critics were unfairly targeting MNS workers for advocating the Marathi language.
Referring to MNS activists as “Maharashtra soldiers,” he stated that they take pride in protecting Marathi identity and culture.
The Supreme Court has yet to schedule a hearing for the PIL.
MNS activists recently assaulted a sweet shop owner in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region for not speaking Marathi.
Earlier this month, MNS workers vandalized the glass door of the office of Mumbai-based share market investor Sushil Kedia in Worli after he announced that he would not speak Marathi and challenged party chief Raj Thackeray.
Also Read: Supreme Court Bar Association to Issue Communication in Vernacular Languages
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, On July 5, appeared together to advocate for the Marathi language, pledging to oppose the “imposition” of Hindi in Maharashtra after the state government retracted the government resolutions regarding the introduction of Hindi as a third language in primary schools.
Earlier this week, three lawyers from Mumbai sent a letter to the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) requesting legal action against the MNS in light of recent attacks on individuals who do not speak Marathi.
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES
