Surat: A local court today granted bail to Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel’s close aide Alpesh Kathiria in another sedition case lodged against him in Amroli police station by crime branch here.

The case pertaining to Hardik’s controversial suggestion to one of his supporter here in 2015 to kill policemen rather than attempting suicide had Kathria as one of the co-accused.

Earlier the Gujarat High Court on November 20 had granted bail to Kathiria in the sedition case lodged in Ahmedabad by crime branch in connection with the violence after August 2015 Patidar quota rally.

Despite getting bail Kathiria who is lodged in Lajpore central jail here won’t step out of jail as he was still awaiting bail in another attempt to murder case under section 307 of the IPC also lodged in Amroli police station here.

Kathiria’s advocate Yashvant Vala said that the court has granted bail to him at a bond of Rs 25000/-. There were several routine conditions like regular appearance before the police etc in the bail. ‘Tomorrow we would also apply for bail in another pending matter of attempt to murder,’ he said.

Vala had during course of argument said that the sedition case was a result of political animosity against his client. The government lawyer on the other hand had opposed his bail plea. The court allowed the bail.

Notably Kathiria, a native of Surat, was arrested on August 19 in Ahmedabad. He was arrested initially with Hardik and seven others while trying to go to Narol area for a symbolic fast and was granted bail in that matter with others only to be arrested again in the sedition case lodge by the crime branch here in October 2015. He was later handed over to Surat police last month in connection with the two cases of Amroli.

Hardik, who was also arrested earlier in this case and granted bail by Gujarat High Court, had made release of Kahiria one of the main issues during his fast in August-September in Ahmedabad.

DeshGujarat