Ahmedabad:A local court today rejected the anticipatory bail plea of former Patidar quota stir convener and now Congress leader Hardik Patel in a case lodged for unlawful assembly, obstructing public servant from discharging duty and causing hurt, rioting after his massive rally at the GMDC ground in the city almost 4 and a half years ago.

The court of ADJ P M Unadkat rejected the bail plea filed under the section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The case number 164/2015 was lodged in Vastrapur police station after his rally on August 25, 2015 under section 332 ( voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty – It is both non-bailable and non-compoundable, and exclusively triable by the Court of Sessions. Punishment under Section 332 is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine or with both ) , section 427 which provides that whoever commits mischief and thereby causes loss or damage to the amount of fifty rupees or upwards, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both and section 143 for being a member of an unlawful assembly who shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both and 147 for rioting, punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

Government counsel Sudhir Brahambhatt opposed his plea arguing that he was an habitual offender with several cases lodged against him and also as the investigation of the case was on, it may be required to take him in to custody for interrogation.

The court rejected his plea.

Notably state wide violence had taken place after the brief detention of Hardik following the rally. A separate case under various sections including the one regarding sedition and criminal conspiracy was lodged by the crime branch of Ahmedabad police in that regard in which Hardik was arrested and later released on bail by the high court. Recently he was arrested due to issuance of a non bailable warrant for his regular absence during hearing of that case in another sessions court here.

DeshGujarat