A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said that the petition will be heard on February 22 as fixed by the registry.

The petition filed by advocate Arvind Shukla in the Supreme Court sought direction to the Election Commission to derecognise Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) for his controversial remarks against north Indians.

It sought directions to the Centre and the Maharashtra Government to take action against Thackeray alleging that his action had endangered the integrity of the nation.

Thackeray's remarks were intended to cause hatred among people and if he and his party activists were not checked from indulging in unlawful activities it may lead to the situation of civil war, the petition contended.

The advocate in his petition said such a situation can be prevented if the Election Commission derecognises his party, MNS, which has been used as a "banner for attacking north Indians in Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai".

The impact of Thackeray's remarks was such that retaliatory attacks on Maharashtrians have been reportedly from Jharkhand, the petition maintained.

If immediate action was not taken it may result in a riot-like situation. There have been reports that people involved in culture activities and film industries from other parts of the country have also been attacked, it said.