In giving a major setback to Patidar leader Hardik Patel, the Gujarat High Court on Friday dismissing his plea to stay his conviction in a 2015 rioting case. This will give an end to his hopes of fighting next month’s Lok Sabha polls.
April 4 being the last date of filing of nominations in Gujarat, Hardik has a few days to challenge the judgement in the Supreme Court. Hardik, who joined the Congress on March 12, had expressed his willingness to contest the election from Jamnagar Lok Sabha seat.
During the earlier hearings, the Gujarat government had strongly opposed his plea saying that Hardik has criminal antecedents with 17 FIRs registered against him, including two cases of sedition. After the high court’s judgement, Hardik’s lawyers said they would first study the order and then decide about approaching the Supreme Court.
In July last year, the sessions court at Visnagar in Mehsana district sentenced Patel to two years of imprisonment for rioting and arson in Visnagar town in 2015 during the Patidar quota stir. In August last year, the high court suspended the lower court’s order sentencing him to two years’ jail term in the 2015 rioting case but did not stay his conviction.
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