Mumbai, Nov. 15: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray was today arrested for the fourth time by Mumbai police, but was released minutes later on bail.

The arrest came after the the police served the non-bailable warrant issued by a Jamshedpur magistrate in September after Thackeray repeatedly failed to appear before the court.

The warrant had directed the police to produce Thackeray before the court on November 17.

He was arrested this afternoon at his Krishna Kunj residence at Shivaji Park and was produced at the Mazgaon sessions court.

Thackeray got his bail on a personal bond of Rs 50,000. His counsel Rajendra Shirodkar said: “Under Section 81 of the Criminal Procedure Code, if the offences against a person are bailable and the person is willing to pay the bail, he is granted bail. The court accepted our request for bail.”

He said this meant Thackeray would not be travelling to Jamshedpur on November 17.

“We have challenged the case filed in Jamshedpur before Ranchi High Court. We will wait for the verdict in that case. If the verdict goes against us, we may file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court,” Shirodkar said.

Thackeray’s lawyers have also moved Ranchi High Court seeking transfer of all cases filed against him in Jharkhand, including this one, to a Mumbai court and the case is scheduled for hearing on November 21.

The non-bailable warrant was issued by the court of first class judicial magistrate A. K. Tiwary on September 30 after a local lawyer Hamid Reza Khan filed a complaint based on media reports.

The case pertains to Thackeray’s outbursts against migrants from UP and Bihar. The Jamshedpur court had issued the non-bailable warrant after rejecting the three petitions filed by Thackeray, pleading for quashing of the case under sections 210, 177 and 317 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on the ground that a case against him on the similar issue was pending in a court in Mumbai.

The petitions argued that according to the CrPC provisions Jamshedpur court could not try the case as Thackeray’s remarks were made in Mumbai.

The MNS chief was last arrested by the Kherwadi police station on October 21 after MNS workers beat up examinees from UP and Bihar who came to Mumbai to appear for a Railway Recruitment Exam on October 19.

When he secured bail in that case, he was re-arrested on the same day for a similar offence lodged by the Dombivli police. Thackeray was granted anticipatory bail, which has been extended till December 5. Over 52 cases under the Indian Penal Code and Damage to Property Act have been lodged against the MNS chief across Maharashtra pertaining to the October 19 violence.