Thackeray case adjourned to Oct 11

NASHIK, AUG 2: The hearing of the defamation case filed by former leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Council, Chhagan Bhujbal, against Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and two others has been adjourned to October 11 as neither Bhujbal nor any of the three accused appeared in court today.

Bhujbal, who filed the case in the Nashik court on September 4, 1997, has accused Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Subhash Desai (editor, executive editor and publisher of the Sena mouthpiece Saamna, respectively), of publishing defamatory reports in July 1997.

The reports, which were published on July 23 and 24, 1997, had alleged that Bhujbal had masterminded the desecration of a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar at Ramabai Nagar at Ghatkopar in Mumbai. The incident, which took place on July 11, 1997, had led to a riot and police firing, claiming the lives of a dozen Dalits.