The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday rejected a petition to drop a sedition charge against Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel. The court declared that prima facie, it was a case of sedition as he was caught on camera advising a young man from his community to resort to violence and thus disturb peace in society, the Press Trust of India reported. However, the bench ordered the police to remove another charge against Patel – creating enmity between two communities – saying he had not done so.

The court added that while the Patel community is free to make their demands using peaceful means, it cannot use any method that could “jeopardise public tranquility”. On October 3, Hardik Patel had asked one Vipul Desai to kill policemen instead of committing suicide, after Desai had said he was ready to sacrifice himself for their cause. The Patel community has been involved in a series of protests demanding reservations claiming it is economically backward.