Mumbai, Nov 05: A court today exempted Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray from personal appearance in a 1991 riot case until further orders and deferred to November 19 Maharashtra government's plea to withdraw prosecution against him and 24 Shiv Sainiks who allegedly ransacked a newspaper office for publishing 'defamatory' articles. Thackeray's lawyer Rajendra Shirodkar sought exemption for his client while some of the accused appeared today.
Seventeen accused are available for the trial while four have passed away and three others are not traceable.
The court issued warrants seeking production of the accused on November 19.
Thackeray is accused of making inflammatory speech at a rally while 24 Sainiks are facing the charge of rioting and ransacking office of a newspaper which criticised their chief.
In 1997, the BJP-Shiv Sena government had moved the court seeking to withdraw the prosecution against Thackeray and others for want of evidence. However, the court turned down its plea and the state moved the high court.
On July 17 this year, the Mumbai High Court had set aside a lower court order which refused to allow the state's plea for withdrawal of prosecution against Thackeray and others.
Justice J A Patil, quashing February 18, 1997 order of a Bandra magistrate, directed him to consider afresh the government's plea for withdrawal of the prosecution.
On October 29, 1991, Shiv Sainiks had allegedly ransacked the office of Mahanagar newspaper which had carried an article critical of Thackeray and dwelt on his speech at the annual Dussehra rally held a day before the incident. Bureau Report