The LT Marg police, on Saturday, have registered an FIR against Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora for violating Moral Code of Conduct (MCC) during a campaign speech earlier this month.
The complainant identified as Dharmendra Mishra who is an advocate at Bombay High Court has alleged that on April 4, Deora while addressing the gold and diamond merchants at Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar had said that Shiv Sena is against minorities and had allegedly accused the party of hurting religious sentiments of Jain followers.
Speaking to DNA, Mishra said, "Deora has made a false and religiously sensitive such act to invoke a feeling of enmity among Jain voters."
After the incident, sitting Sena MP Arvind Sawant approached the Election Commission who later told the police to lodge an FIR. "The police initially took a Non Cognisable complaint against Deora but since the matter is serious by nature, the police registered a complaint this Saturday. This is the first FIR against Deora for his electoral misconduct and also in the electoral history of Maharashtra, Section 125 of the Representation of People (RP) Act has been registered for the first time in 10 years," added Mishra.
The police have registered a case under section 171 of the Indian Penal Code for giving a false statement for election and section 125 of the RP Act for promoting enmity between classes in connection with elections.
"We shall take most appropriate action and further development will be updated ahead," said a police officer.Speaking about it Deora said, "I was trying to convey that Shiv Sena, in the name of Modi, took votes from people in 2014 and then turned against them. Such political hypocrisy needs to be exposed. I strongly feel no political party should either appease or oppose any community on their practices and beliefs."