Ahmedabad court refuses to drop sedition charges against Hardik Patel
The Patidar leader was booked in October 2015 based on a video in which he was seen asking his followers to kill policemen for the cause of reservation.
An Ahmedabad court on Wednesday rejected an application filed by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel seeking that sedition charges against him be dropped, ANI reported.
The Gujarat Police had filed the sedition case against Patel in October 2015 based on a video in which he was seen asking his followers to kill policemen rather than commit suicide for the cause of reservation for the Patel community.
Patel, who was the face of the movement in 2015 seeking quotas in government jobs and educational institutions, had questioned the authenticity of the video. But, the Gujarat High Court rejected his petition to discharge him in the case.
In January 2016, the Ahmedabad Police filed a 2,700-page chargesheet. It had details of telephone conversation between Hardik Patel, his associates and his supporters, statements of 503 witnesses and reports of Forensic Science Laboratory certifying the veracity of the calls.
Patel spent nine months in jail, from October 2015 to July 2016, when he got bail.
In September 2017, Patel filed the fresh application in an Ahmedabad sessions court, saying there was no evidence against him to frame the charges. Additional Sessions Judge Dilip Mahida did not accept his argument.