SC stays conviction of Congress leader Hardik Patel in rioting case

Vartha Bharati | 12-04-2022 | 12:09:00 IST

Hardik Patel (File Photo: PTI)

New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the conviction of Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel in a rioting and arson case.

A bench of Justices S A Nazeer and Vikram Nath said this is a fit case for the high court to have stayed the conviction.

At the outset, senior advocate Maninder Singh submitted that not allowing Patel to contest election is a violation of his right to freedom of expression.

"It is a violation. I have already lost one chance to contest the election in 2019. We are before your lordships to get our rights under Article 19(1)(a) to be enforced. They have misused the police power. Therefore, I don't know what they have to say, but my lords must decide this case soon," he said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the basic parameters for conviction are set.

"In criminal law, there is no one standard guideline to say which one is right. Your lordship may decide the issue. Whether Patel might have won or not, is not the issue in this case," he said.

The bench then passed the order and said,"Having regard to the facts and circumstances, we are of the view that this is the fit case for the high court to have stayed the conviction. The conviction is, hereby, stayed until the appeals are decided accordingly."

The top court was hearing a plea filed by Patel against the judgment of the Gujarat High Court seeking suspension of the conviction so that he could contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Patel had sought a direction to suspend the conviction order passed on July 25, 2018, by a sessions court in Mahesana in Visnagar.

He had also challenged the validity of the high court's order of March 29 refusing his plea for a stay on the conviction.

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Three arrested for throwing egg on BJP MLA Munirathna in Bengaluru

25-12-2024 ¦ 25-12-2024 IST

BJP MLA Munirathna

Bengaluru, Dec 25: Three people were arrested for throwing an egg at BJP MLA Munirathna during an event here on Wednesday, police said.

The MLA was participating in an event to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Nandini Layout in the city when miscreants threw an egg at him, a police officer said.

The MLA accused Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, his brother and former MP D K Suresh, and their confidantes of "orchestrating" the attack.

"This was an attempt to kill me. Nearly 150 people were brought in to finish me. I would have been killed if my supporters and policemen were not present. D K Shivakumar, D K Suresh, Hanumantharayappa, and some others were involved," Munirathna alleged.

Shivakumar, who was in Belagavi, rejected the allegation, saying he was busy preparing for the centenary celebrations of the 1924 Indian National Congress session, which was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.

Suresh also dismissed the charge, claiming that Munirathna was "threatening" Congress workers in his area.

He alleged that the MLA had staged the attack to divert public attention from the issue.

Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara confirmed the arrests. "Three people have been arrested. The investigation is ongoing to identify who they are and why they did it," he told reporters.

BJP state president B Y Vijayendra condemned the attack.

"Such an attack is not just an insult to Munirathna, but the entire state. Just because you (Congress) are in power, you are attacking people. An attack on a public representative is highly condemnable," Vijayendra told reporters.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and former Minister C T Ravi also condemned the incident.

Munirathna, who is facing several police cases, including a rape case, was recently released on bail.

Egged in #Bengaluru #BJP MLA (Rajarajeshwarinagar) Munirathna, who is out on bail in a rape case, was struck on his head with an egg near Kanteerava Studio in the northern part of the city. He blamed his political detractors for the attack. pic.twitter.com/wcLoKVXaKr
— TOI Bengaluru (@TOIBengaluru) December 25, 2024

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