Hardik Patel’s election plans jolted as HC refuses to stay his conviction in rioting case
Hardik cannot contest elections if the court doesn’t stay his conviction
Ahmedabad: In a setback to Congress and its leader Hardik Patel, the Gujrat High Court on Friday refused to stay the conviction of Hardik, chopping down his hopes of contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
Hardik was in 2018 convicted in a rioting case and the court had ordered two year imprisonment for him along with two others. The case of rioting dates back to 2015 during the Patidar protest for reservation.
Hardik filed an appeal in the high court. During the hearing, the high court had suspended the sentence of two years but didn't deal with suspending and staying the conviction.
The last date for filing nomination is April 4 in Gujarat which goes for the polls in the third phase. His lawyers said that they will be approaching the Supreme Court on Monday with an urgent plea.
He, in petition to Gujrat High Court had stated that "if the order of conviction is not stayed and suspended, then the appellant will suffer irreparable loss and he being the person of public life, social activist and leader of the community, his goal to serve the society at large by becoming Member of Parliament will ruin." It adds further that he has "all the chances to win the election and serve the society as the Member of Parliament”
The state government had strongly opposed his plea while arguing that a "lawbreaker" should not become a "lawmaker." The state government cited 17 FIRs against Hardik to prove that he has a criminal antecedent.
As per provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a person sentenced in a criminal case needs to get stay on conviction and sentence both before contesting polls.
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Modi should leverage his ties with world leaders to de-escalate war in West Asia: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India can play a meaningful role in de-escalation in West Asia, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong relations with the warring countries and their neighbours.
He said Pakistan was leveraging ties with Iran and the United States, and that any effort towards ending the war should be welcomed.
"As I said in the House (Assembly), we would like the war to end as soon as possible. The role that the prime minister can play may not be possible for anyone else because of his good relations with all these countries," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He, however, said any escalation would not be easy to manage.
"Any such move by US President Donald Trump, despite the long history of Iran resisting external domination, would not be easy," the chief minister said.
Asked about Pakistan mediating in the war, he said, "I will simply say that if any country can play a role in preventing this war, no one should have any objection to it."
He added, "I will repeat what I said … our prime minister has good and close relations with all countries — whether it is Israel, the United States, Iran, or the countries around Iran. If those relationships can be used to make some progress and help ease the situation, it would be a good thing."
Abdullah said attacks by terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, as suggested by a report from the United States, are not unlikely.
Meanwhile, he asserted that any efforts to end the war, be it from Pakistan, must not be resisted.
"Pakistan is using its good relations with Iran and the United States to its advantage, and it has done so. How can we object to that? If that angle helps in stopping the war, would you want them not to act and let the war continue? We want the war to stop. If any country can play a role in that, it should. And if we can play an even better role, then we should do so," he said.
On unemployment in J-K, the chief minister said the issue cannot be resolved overnight, and government jobs alone are not the solution.
He stressed the need to explore alternative avenues, highlighting the importance of Mission Yuva in promoting entrepreneurship.
"Mission Yuva provides not just funding but also support in preparing DPRs and post-startup assistance, such as marketing. In just nine months, distributing Rs 1,000 crore and approving numerous schemes is a significant achievement," he said.
Abdullah credited the coordination between the government and Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the scheme's progress.
