Mumbai: A Kalyan court has summoned Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to record their statements in a 17-year-old criminal defamation case filed by the late NCP leader Vasant Davkhare.
The case dates back to the 2009 Lok Sabha election campaign, when Thackeray, then Shiv Sena working president, allegedly screened a video during a rally in Dombivli while campaigning for the party’s candidate, Anand Paranjape. The video purportedly showed Davkhare, the NCP candidate, urging party workers to win the election at all costs and not to fear the police or election officials.
Davkhare denied making the remarks, alleging that the video had been selectively edited and doctored to defame him and damage his reputation. He subsequently filed a criminal defamation complaint against Mr. Thackeray, Mr. Shinde, Mr. Paranjape and Ramakant Devlekar.
Mr. Thackeray has been directed to appear before the court on August 5, while Shinde has been asked to appear on August 6. At the time, the Shiv Sena maintained that the video was authentic and said it would lodge a complaint with election authorities.
A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader described the case as a routine political battle. “Since a court has issued the summons, they will have to be honoured. Such cases arise in the heat of an election campaign. Davkhare, the complainant, is no longer alive. Mr. Paranjape later joined the NCP and is now with Mr Shinde’s party. Davkhare’s son, Niranjan, is now a BJP legislator. So there is not much left in the case,” the leader said.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
