Manas Dasgupta
Ahmedabad, March 29
With the Gujarat High Court rejecting his plea for a stay on the lower court’s conviction in a rioting and arson case, young firebrand Patel leader Hardik Patel will not be able to contest the Lok Sabha elections.
Though both Congress and Hardik’s advocates said they would decide on challenging today’s HC order in the Supreme Court once the copy of the order was available, the Patidar leader was racing against time as the nomination for all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat closes on April 4.
Hardik, who joined the Congress on March 12 in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and was considered almost certain to get the Congress nomination for contesting the Jamnagar seat, had submitted a petition in the High Court on March 8 for a stay on the conviction awarded by the Visnagar sessions court last year.
Hardik along with two others was found guilty of rioting and arson in the office of then local BJP member of state Assembly Rushikesh Patel when they had gone to submit a memorandum following a Patidar rally in July, 2015, in Visnagar in north Gujarat demanding reservation benefits for the Patels.
Hardik was sentenced to two-year imprisonment by the local court. On appeal, the HC had granted suspension of the execution of the conviction last year to allow him time to challenge the lower court’s order, but then also had refused to grant a stay on the conviction. After Hardik turned 25 last year making him eligible to contest elections, he wanted to join the LS poll fray and submitted the petition in the HC.
The BJP government in the state, however, had opposed his plea claiming that Hardik had “criminal past” and give speeches “instigating people” to indulge in violence.
Racing against time
- It’s race against time for Hardik, who joined Congress on March 12, as filing of nomination papers closes on April 4
- He is being considered almost certain to get Congress ticket for Jamnagar
- Both Congress and Patel’s advocates say they will decide on challenging order in SC
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2OyfIBs
via Today’s News Headlines
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