A magistrate's court in Maharashtra's Thane district has directed Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to appear before it next week to record their statements in connection with a 17-year-old criminal defamation case filed by late Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Vasant Davkhare.

According to a court official, Thackeray has been asked to appear on August 5, while Shinde has been directed to appear on August 6. The proceedings are part of the examination of the accused under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which enables a court to question an accused person regarding the evidence presented against them.