The Bombay High Court on Friday granted permission to BJP MLA from Telangana, T Rajasingh Thakur, and one Naresh Nile, to hold a procession in Mira Road on February 25 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, provided they give an undertaking to the police that they will not deliver any hate speeches.

Send undertaking, police to record entire procession: Court

A bench headed by Justice Revati Mohite-Dere granted permission on condition that the two send the undertaking by email/fax to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone I, by the end of the day. The court also directed the police to video record the entire procession as well as the speeches made at the said congregation / rally.

Nile had approached the HC after the police refused to grant them permission to hold the procession. Thakur is the main speaker at the event.

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Public prosecutor Hiten Venegavkar opposed the petition stating that there is an apprehension that some untoward incident may take place during the procession. He justified the refusal of permission by the police, saying that on January 22, during the Pran Pratishtha at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, riots had taken place in Mira-Bhayandar.

Venegavkar also pointed out that several cases are registered against Thakur for delivering hate speeches across several states, including Maharashtra. Later, he said that the police should also decide the route of the procession if permission is granted.

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Advocates Suresh Kulkarni and Vinod Sangvikar, appearing for Nile, submitted that although several cases were registered against Thakur in Telangana, Maharashtra and other states, no case has been registered against him after the order of the Supreme Court on January 17. They said the apex court had permitted him to hold a rally in Solapur and no untoward took place there.