Ex-Mumbai mayor held for 'objectionable' remarks against CM Shinde

The Mumbai police on Wednesday arrested Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former city mayor Datta Dalvi for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, an official said. A city court later remanded him in 14-day judicial custody. The accused sought bail from the court, claiming that he was "innocent and falsely implicated" in the case. His application will be heard on Thursday. Dalvi was arrested from Bhandup area of Mumbai in the morning, the police official said.

"During a 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 Shinde," a Bhandup police station official said. On that basis, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Dalvi under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, 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), he said.

Following his arrest, the police produced him before a magistrate court in suburban Mulund and sought his remand for two days. The investigators said his custody was required for maintaining law and order in the area. However, advocate Sundeep Singh, appearing for Dalvi, submitted that no justifiable ground for custody has been made in the remand plea and his personal liberty cannot be curtailed. He also argued that no offence was made out against the accused under the sections he has been booked by the police. The accused has been arrested as a result of "political vendetta", he said. The court, after hearing both sides, refused to grant custody of the accused to the police and remanded him in judicial custody. After that, Dalvi moved a bail application in the court, saying he has been falsely implicated in the case. He has not played any role in the commission of the alleged offence, his plea added.