The High Court on Tuesday directed the Gujarat Government to file an affidavit by December 18 citing reasons behind tapping Hardik Patel’s phone. The hearing in the case related to phone tapping of Hardik Patel and his associates completed on Tuesday.
During his submission before the court, Hardik’s lawyer stated that the Government’s stance of tapping the phones of his clients under Section 5 of IPC could not hold much water as police can intercept phone calls of any citizen. The Gujarat Police had filed an FIR on October 21, charging Hardik and his associates under various sections of IPC.
Defending the charges on behalf of government, Public prosecutor Mitesh Amin had earlier said in the court that the FIR against Hardik and five other quota leaders —Ketan Patel, Chirag Patel, Dinesh Patel, Alpesh Kathiriya and Amrish Patel, were based on over 200 call interceptions. The government lawyer alleged that the conversations were “caustic” and the accused could be heard instigating their supporters to resort to violence by torching police chowkies, uproot railway tracks and even kill policemen. Other than phone calls, the accused are alleged to have sent 35 lakh messages across social media, instigating Patels to resort to violence in wake of police detention of Hardik on August 25.
Meanwhile the 22-year-old convener of Paridar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) was sent back to lajpore Central Jail after Surat police did not seek an extension of his one-day remand in a case related to blocking national highway.