Jharkhand HC defers hearing into Raj Thackeray’s case

New Delhi: Lawyers in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi are the latest to join the protests against the attacks on North Indians in Maharashtra by Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

The lawyers say Thackeray does not even deserve to be defended in a court of law.

"People in Bihar and Jharkhand should exercise restraint and do their duty. One should perform the responsibilities but we should not take case of such a person (Raj Thackeray)," Jharkhand Bar Council Chairman PC Tripathi said.

Tripathi's views were echoed by a group of lawyers who had organised a protest march against Thackeray.

"It is a protest from our side. He is trying to break the nation. Being a citizen of India, we should not fight the case of a traitor," lawyer Ashish Kumar Lal said.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand High Court deferred hearing a petition by Thackeray to transfer a case against him from Jamshedpur to Mumbai.

"The bench of Chief Justice Gyansudha Mishra and Justice DK Sinha today posted the case for hearing on November 14," Thackeray's counsel Pande Niraj Rai said in Ranchi on Saturday.

The case was scheduled to come up on Saturday.

Thackeray recently filed a petition in the High Court requesting it to transfer to Mumbai a complaint case filed by an advocate, Hameed Raza, against him in a Jamshedpur court.

Raza had in June accused the MNS leader of hurting the sentiments of Hindi-speaking people by allegedly abusing the Chhath festival and the people of Bihar.

Raza has brought charges against Thackeray under sections 295A (maliciously insulting the religion or the religious beliefs of any class), 296 (causing a disturbance to an assembly engaged in religious worship) and 298 (uttering any word or making any sound in the hearing or making any gesture, or placing any object in the sight of any person).

The High Court last month rejected a similar petition of the MNS leader, but gave him the option to plead before the lower court for transfer of his case.

The Jamshedpur court, however, has told Thackeray that his plea could be heard only during trial, leading him to approach the High Court for the second time.

The Jamshedpur court had already issued warrants against him.

Thackeray is facing three complaint cases in Jharkhand - Jamshedpur, Jamtara and Garwah.

(With inputs from PTI)