Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray was on Friday arrested and immediately released on bail after a magistrate in Mumbai issued bailable warrant against him for not appearing in the court in a criminal case.

Thackeray is facing the case, filed by a Nationalist Congress Party activist, in Andheri magistrate's court for an allegedly communally provocative speech given a year ago.

"We received the bailable warrant from the court and immediately executed the warrant at Thackeray's residence Matoshree in Bandra at around 1400 hours," Deputy Commissioner of Police R N Tadvi told PTI in Mumbai.

The sessions court had on Thursday granted some reprieve to Thackeray by exempting him from further appearance in the trial.

NCP activist Munna Tripathi had filed the complaint demanding action against Thackeray for making an allegedly communally provocative speech on June 19, 2006 on the occasion of Sena's foundation day.

The NCP activist also made Saamna daily a party in the case for printing the full text of the speech.

The metropolitan magistrate's court issued a bailable warrant against the 80-year-old Sena patriarch after he failed to turn up in the court.

Thackeray challenged the warrant in the sessions court which, however, ordered the execution of the warrant. Earlier this week, Tripathi came back to the sessions court, complaining no action had been taken on the earlier order.

The sessions court on Thursday asked the police to execute the warrant by going to Thackeray's residence.