Gujarat HC declines to drop sedition charges against Hardik Patel

Resorting to violence to force the government to fulfill the demand not right, says the court

GN Bureau | October 27, 2015


#Hardik Patel   #Patel   #Gujarat High Court   #Gujarat  

Gujarat High Court on Tuesday refused to quash sedition case slapped against Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel. He had moved the high court on Monday after he was arrested on charges of sedition and waging war against the government.

The court said today that prima facie, sedition charges hold against him and directed the police to continue further investigation. It has, however, asked for charges that accuse him of creating animosity between communities to be dropped from the complaint.

Refusing reprieve to Hardik, the court said no body has the right to promote violence. The court observed that while demanding quota was not illegal, resorting to violence to force the government to fulfill the demand was certainly not right.  The court observed that while "every individual in a democracy has the right to express his/her political opinion, nothing which leads to violence or hatred is permissible under the law."

On October 3, Hardik had met Vipul Desai of Surat who had announced that he would commit suicide in support of the agitation. "If you have so much courage...then go and kill a couple of policemen. Patels never commit suicide," he allegedly told him.

His remarks were aired by a local TV channel and were shared on social media, sparking a controversy.

Hardik’s petition said the FIR was only aimed at suppressing the agitation of the Patel community for reservation in OBC category. His actions did not amount to sedition or waging war against the government, it said.

There has been two FIRs against Hardik where he has been accused of sedition (under section 124-A of IPC). Earlier, Surat police had booked him for sedition for allegedly advising a Patel youth to kill policemen rather than committing suicide. His petition seeking to scrap that FIR is already before the high court.

Hardik is currently in the custody of Ahmedabad crime branch. The 22-year-old leader of Patel community's agitation for reservations was arrested on October 19 and booked by the police on sedition charges.

Comments

 

Other News

Amitav Ghosh’s new work: Connections between the word and the world

Wild Fictions: Essays By Amitav Ghosh HarperCollins, 496 pages, Rs 799.00 Amitav Ghosh, one of a handful of Ind

How markets can help (and also hinder) fight against pollution

In the annals of environmental policy, few ideas have been as transformative as the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Born from the minds of economists in the late 1960s, this market-based approach to pollution control has evolved from a theoretical concept to a global tool in the fight against climate chang

Will Bihar complement the resolution of Viksit Bharat 2047?

As India completes its diamond jubilee as a republic, I am reminded of a statement by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, delivered during an address to the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna on March 28, 2006. He said, “I have visited Bihar numerous times, and it has always been a source of happiness for me to

All you wanted to know about Budget: Key Highlights

Here are the key highlights of the proposal of the Union Budget presented in parliament by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Satuday: NO INCOME TAX ON AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME OF UPTO RS 1 LAKH; TO BOOST MIDDLE CLASS HOUSEHOLD SAVINGS & CONSUMPTION BENEFITTING

Four engines of development: Agriculture, MSME, investment & exports

Union minister of finance and corporate affairs Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2025-26 in Parliament on Saturday. Here is the summary of her budget speech, Part A: Quoting Telugu poet and playwright Shri Gurajada Appa Rao’s famous saying, ‘A country is not just its

No income tax on annual income up to Rs. 12 lakh

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the philosophy of “trust first, scrutinize later”, the Union Budget 2025-26 has reposed faith in the middle class and continued the trend of giving relief in tax burden to the common taxpayer. Presenting the Budget in the Parliament on Saturday,

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter