BJP leader P C George granted bail by Kerala court in hate speech case
Kottayam (Kerala) (PTI): BJP leader PC George was on Friday granted bail by a court in this district in a hate speech case.
A magisterial court in Erattupetta granted bail to George who had surrendered before it on Monday and was remanded to police custody on the same day.
He had surrendered before the court after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
Dismissing his petition, the High Court had observed that granting bail in such a case would send the wrong message to society.
George, a former MLA, was accused of delivering a hate speech against a minority community during a TV channel discussion.
He had approached the High Court after the Kottayam District Sessions Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in the case registered by the Erattupetta police.
The case was based on a complaint lodged by Muhamed Shihab, a Muslim Youth League leader, who alleged that George made remarks capable of inciting religious hatred.
He was booked under sections 196(1)(a) (promoting enmity between different groups on religious ground) and 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its beliefs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and section 120(o) (causing nuisance and violation of public order) of the Kerala Police Act.
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Himanta resigns as Assam CM, paving way for formation of new govt
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
