Ahmedabad

Patel quota stir leader Hardik Patel, who is behind bars in two different sedition cases, has barred his lawyer and Congress leader B M Mangukiya from fighting any of his cases from now onwards.

In a letter sent to Mangukiya from Surat jail, where the 22-year-old firebrand leader is lodged at present, he told Mangukiya that he has appointed Rafik Lokhandwala and Zubin Bharada as his new lawyers to fight all his cases.

Mangukiya has been fighting Hardik’s cases since beginning and remained by his side all this time.

In the letter, Hardik asked him not to appear on his behalf for the upcoming hearing on his bail plea in the Gujarat High Court on January 6.

He asked Mangukiya not to fight any of his cases pending in local courts, High Court and the Supreme Court from now onwards and to handover all the cases to his new lawyers after taking dates in the next hearings.

According to Hardik’s father Bharatbhai Patel, Hardik was unhappy with Mangukiya’s performance.

“Mangukiya used to claim that he will bring Hardik out of jail within weeks. But, Hardik is still behind bars. Thus, Hardik has decided to change his lawyer,” said Bharatbhai. PTI

‘Ousted’ Mangukiya says – ‘mislead’ Hardik issuing contradictory statements from Jail

Ahmedabad

Congress leader and advocate B M Mangukiya, who has been asked to not to appear on behalf of the jailed Patidar reservation stir leader Hardik Patel in various cases against him, today claimed that his ‘mislead’ client was issuing contradictory statements from jail.

Father of Hardik, Mr. Bharat Patel has confirmed that Hardik has told him during his recent visit to Lajpore central jail in Surat, that Mr. Mangukiya should be asked to quit his cases. He said that Hardik has also written a letter to the advocate in this regard which has been mailed and was likely to reach him soon.

Mr. Patel said that Hardik has felt that the ‘busy’ advocate was not giving enough time to his cases. He also said that the two advocates Zubin Bharda and Rafiq Lokhandwala who had filed Hardik’s bail plea on December 21 in the High Court would most likely now deal all the cases.

Mr Mangukiya on the other hand said that he has not received any letter from Hardik so far but if the client desires so he would quit the cases. He alleged that seemingly the Patidar Anamat Aandolan Samiti (PAAS) leader was not being briefed properly inside the jail or someone was willingly giving him wrong information to mislead him.

Mr. Mangukiya a little known figure prior to his dramatic filing of the disputed habeas corpus wirt petition for mysteriously disappeared Hardik Patel after an unauthorized meeting in Tenpur of Aravalli on September 22, in the high court here past mid night that day and taking many other sensational cases of the Patel leader and his associates and openly supporting the reservation stir shot to limelight thereafter.

Earlier Hardik’s father had also alleged that Mr. Mangukiya had used him politically.

On December 21 when the proceedings begun, the high court faced a dilemma as two bail applications on behalf of Hardik were filed in the same sedition case. While one application was filed by his old lawyer B M Mangukia, the other one was filed by lawyer Rafiq Lokhandwala and Zubin Bharda. However, Hardik’s family members said they have appointed new lawyers, after which Mangukia withdrew the plea filed by him.

– DeshGujarat