Court rejects Hardik’s plea for entry in Mehsana

Ahmedabad: A court rejected a plea by quota agitation leader Hardik Patel seeking permission to enter Mehsana district, after the Gujarat High Court had imposed bail condition on him restricting his entry to the district.

Hardik had moved the application in the Visnagar sessions court of judge V P Agarwal seeking permission to enter the district.

The high court had earlier said while granting him bail that he can approach a local court for permission to enter a district after nine months of his release.

The court, however, rejected his plea saying there was no strong ground behind his application.

The high court had in July last year granted bail to Hardik in a case of violence at the office of Visnagar MLA Rishikesh Patel, but with restriction that he will not be able to go the Mehasana district in which Visnagar town is located till the trial of the Visnagar MLA office attack case is over.

The court had in its order also said Hardik can seek modification to this condition after nine months and the court at that time can pass appropriate order based on his conduct.

Accordingly, he moved his application in the court.

An FIR was filed against Hardik and 17 others by Visnagar town police for allegedly ransacking the office of Patel during the protest rally of Patidar community demanding reservation in July 2015.