The Gujarat High Court on Friday reserved its verdict for Tuesday on a petition seeking to quash sedition proceedings against Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convener Hardik Patel for his alleged inflammatory remarks against the State Police in Surat, for which a local court had remanded him to police custody.
The petition was filed by Hardik’sì father Bharat Patel, challenging Patel’s arrest on October 19 on sedition charges for exhorting youngsters from his community to kill a policeman or two instead of thinking of committing suicide.
“If you have so much courage; go kill a policeman or two instead of committing suicide. Patels never commit suicide,” stated Hardik to Vipul Desai, who had reportedly threatened to commit suicide in support of pro-reservation stir for Patels in Government jobs and education under OBC category.
The conversation became viral in social networking sites as well as TV channels.
He was slapped with a sedition charge for this, that was strongly contested by his advocate BM Mangukia in the Gujarat High Court. While putting off the hearing till Friday, the High Court had on Wednesday sought the State Government’s explanation as to how did his statement tantamount to sedition.
According to sources the local police might seek further remand for Patel this evening. Even if the Surat Metropolitan court rejects further remand for him, the young Patidar might not walk free as yet since another sedition case has been filed against him in Ahmedabad.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch police are likely to arrest him again in the city on a transfer warrant from Surat.
The three, Chirag Patel, Dinesh Bamania and Ketan Patel, are among the six who face these charges in Ahmedabad, the other being Hardik Patel. Alpesh Kathiria from Surat and Amrish Patel from Ahmedabad are on the run.
later, police arrested his close aides including Chirag Patel and Dinesh Bamania in a dramatic fashion from outside the Gujarat High Court on the same day Hardik Patel’s father challenged the charges on him on Monday. Ketan Patel was later picked up from Waghai in South Gujarat. All the three were remanded to police custody.