MUMBAI, Nov. 18 -- The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the state government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to respond to a plea seeking the registration of an FIR against MNS chief Raj Thackeray and the de-registration of his party over alleged hate speeches and violence against the Hindi-speaking community. A division bench of chief justice Shree Chandrashekhar and justice Gautam Ankhad also directed the petitioner to remove words like "north Indians" and "south Indians" from the copy. "Adding 'hate speech' is enough. It is not necessary to add other adjectives to it," the bench said. The petition, filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay in July 2025, claimed that Thackeray and his party workers had been indulging in mob violence against immigrants from other states in Maharashtra since 2005. Such gimmicks, the petition added, typically intensify ahead of elections. "At his instance, his goons/political workers have been beating, assaulting and lynching people belonging to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. They have even been destroying their business establishments and shops," it said....