NASHIK, Dec 4: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and two others appeared today in the court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Surendra P Tawade, in connection with a defamation suit filed by the leader of the opposition in the state Legislative Council, Chhagan Bhujbal. Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Subhash Desai - editor, executive editor and publisher respectively of the Sena mouthpiece, Saamna - were released on bail of Rs 3,000 each amid vociferous slogan-shouting by supporters of both sides in the court premises.The hearing of the case is scheduled for January 19. Bhujbal had filed a defamation suit against the trio in the Nashik court on September 4 for publishing reports on July 23 and 24, 1997 that accused Bhujbal of masterminding the desecration of Dr BR Ambedkar's statue at Ramabai Nagar on July 11.After the desecration of the statue which led to the loss of 11 lives in police firing, Rajendra Mihilal Agarwal from Shahada, Dhule, had filed an affidavit in Mumbai claiming that Bhujbal had wanted him to desecrate the statue, but that he had refused to do so.According to Bhujbal, while other newspapers reported the affidavit neutrally, the Saamna chose to ``doctor'' it to ``incite the passions of Dalits'' by stating that he had masterminded the incident.Security arrangements in the court collapsed today as hundreds of supporters barged into the premises. When Thackeray, who arrived in court around 1.45 pm - he came to the city by helicopter, landing at the Golf Club - his supporters started shouting slogans. Bhujbal's supporters who were already waiting in the compound began a clamour of their own, resulting in a slogan-war which lasted about 15 minutes.
