Court grants bail to ex-Mumbai mayor held for 'objectionable' remark against Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Mumbai mayor Datta Dalvi. Pic/PTI

A court in Mumbai on Friday granted bail to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former city mayor Datta Dalvi, two days after he was arrested for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, reported news agency PTI.

His bail plea was allowed by Metropolitan Magistrate (Mulund court) M R Washimkar after it heard arguments from both defence and prosecution, reported PTI.

In the bail application, filed through advocate Sundeep Singh, Dalvi claimed that he was "innocent and falsely implicated" in the case, reported PTI.

He has not played any role in the alleged offence, the plea said, reported PTI.

The accused has been in custody since the day of his arrest and police's investigation is almost over. Hence, no purpose will be served by keeping him in custody, it added, reported PTI.

Dalvi was arrested by the city police on Wednesday for the alleged objectionable remark against CM Shinde, reported PTI.

During their probe, the police found that a meeting was organised on Sunday by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) in suburban Bhandup, where Dalvi allegedly made some objectionable remarks against CM Shinde, reported PTI.

On that basis, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Dalvi under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 153 (a) (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 153 (b) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 294 (obscene acts and songs) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), reported PTI.

The rival factions of the Shiv Sena led by Thackery and Shinde are at daggers drawn since the party split in June 2022.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday slammed the Eknath-Shinde-led NDA government in Maharashtra after police arrested former Mayor of Mumbai Datta Dalvi for allegedly using "objectionable" language against the Maharashtra Chief Minister, reported news agency ANI.

Asked whether the arrest of Datta Dalvi was a reaction to Uddhav Thackeray's reported "Nalayak" remark against the Chief Minister, Raut said, "If he (Uddhav Thackeray) called him (Eknath Shinde) "nalayak," what wrong did he say?"

"Is there censorship in this country? Is there a dictatorship or an emergency?...It is not an unparliamentary word..."

"Calling him (Eknath Shinde) ''Hinduhrdayamrat" is an insult to Veer Savarkar and Balasaheb Thackeray. For this insult, an FIR should be registered against him (Shinde)...Datta Dalvi objected to the remark..." he added.

He also mentioned that State Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar "abused" NCP MP Supriya Sule, Narayan Rane and "his Nepali son."

"No action was taken against them but against our leader," Raut added.

Raut further alleged, "No matter how many atrocities you commit against us, you all will go to jail in 2024."

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)