The Maharashtra police on Tuesday informed the Bombay High Court that cases have been registered against BJP MLAs Nitesh Rane and Geeta Jain. This action followed the discovery that they had delivered hate speeches during communal violence in Thane district in January.
The Bench
Last week, a division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande directed the concerned police commissioners to personally verify whether the speeches made by the two leaders were indeed offensive and provocative.
Public Prosecutor
Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar informed the court that preliminary investigations indicate the speeches delivered by Rane and Jain during the communal violence in Mira Bhayandar (in Thane district) in January this year were offensive.
Venegaonkar stated that Rane stands accused of delivering hate speeches at his rallies in Malvani, Mankhurd, and Ghatkopar areas of Mumbai.
Jain is accused of delivering a hate speech at a rally in Mira Bhayandar, he added.
