Ahmedabad:A local court here today finally framed charges against PAAS leader Hardik Patel, his former aide Dinesh Bambhaniya and Chirag Patel in connection with the sedition case filed by the crime branch of Ahmedabad police on October 21, 2015 regarding the state-wide violence post pro Patidar quota rally in August that year at GMDC ground here.

The 2700 page charge-sheet in the case against the trio was filed in January 2016. Since then the charge framing was being delayed due to the non-appearance of all the three similarly in the court or due to some other technical reason.

Dinesh was earlier today arrested by crime branch on the Non bailable warrant for his absence from the court and produced in the court and ADJ D P Mahida which granted him bail at a personal surety of Rs 25000/- and a fine of Rs 3000.

Government counsel Sudhir Brahmbhatt said that the three accused were present in the court and eighteen page allegations brief was read before them as part of charge framing procedure. ‘They were looking adamant to not to put signatures on the related papers but on the strict posture of the court, they finally singed it. Dinesh has also filed a discharge plea which would also be heard on the next date of hearing on January 19,’ he added.

Hardik and his aides are charged under IPC section 124(A) (sedition), 121 (A) (conspiracy to wage war against government) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy). Another accused Ketan Patel had become an approver and was pardoned. Another accused Alpesh Kathiria was in judicial custody yet.

Earlier lower and high court had earlier rejected Hardik’s discharge petition/quashing petition.

Police had attached call detail records, call interception transcripts, CDs containing video and audio clips, forensic reports of mobile phones of Patel leaders, Hardik’s speech at GMDC ground on August 25 last year, and statements of several witnesses in the charge sheet. The Charge-sheet also included statements of 502 witnesses, including police officials who lodged various complaints across the state, forensic experts, officials of railways, state transport and BRTS, people who witnessed violence and those policemen who witnessed stone-pelting and burning of police stations and police chowkies.

According to the charge sheet, Hardik and his aides, who were part of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, were allegedly involved in inciting Patel community youths to resort to violence as part of their pre-planned conspiracy to put undue pressure on government to accept their demand of reservation to their community under OBC category.

The charge sheet said that when Hardik was briefly detained at GMDC ground on August 25 last year after the mega rally, his five aides deliberately spread misleading messages among their community claiming that he was wrongfully held. Such inflammatory messages and rumours resulted in mass scale riots across Gujarat, which forced police to impose curfew in several parts of state, as people resorted to stone pelting, arson and damaging public property for almost four days. Over a dozen people including policeman were killed during the violence. Several buses, government properties including police posts were torched.

Hardik later told media persons that he would continue the legal battle and if the need be move higher courts.

DeshGujarat