• MLA Jignesh Mevani gets bail in 2017 case, can't leave Gujarat without court’s nod

    National
    MLA Jignesh Mevani gets bail in 2017 case, can't leave Gujarat without court’s nod
    All the convicts were sentenced to three months imprisonment and a fine of ₹1,000 each

    Digital Desk: MLA Jignesh Mevani and 10 others accused were granted bail by a session court in a 2017 case of organizing a rally without police permission but barred them from leaving Gujarat without the court’s permission.

    Mevani and the other accused in the case were sentenced to three months in prison by a magistrate court on May 5. To avoid being imprisoned, the lower court's order had to be contested within one month of the date of the judgment.

    When the accused applied for bail in the session court, the judge granted it on the condition that Mevani and the other accused not leave Gujarat and hand their passports to the court's custody.

    NCP leader Reshma Patel and Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch coordinator Subodh Parmar are among the other accused in this case.

    On July 12, 2017, the demonstration 'Azaadi Kooch' was held from Mehsana to Dhanera in Banaskantha district to commemorate one year since some Dalits in Una were publicly flogged by supposed 'cow defenders' over the skinning of a dead cow.

    According to Mevani, the gathering was held to demand that the Gujarat government intervene to restore rights to land allocated to Dalits that had been illegally taken by goons and anti-social forces.

    "I appreciate the court's ruling, but it's evident that the administration is doing all it can to annoy me." I am a leader who is well-liked by citizens all around the country. I was recently in Kerala to campaign for a by-election. The BJP is afraid of my growth across India, which is why they are attempting to harass me in any way they can. But I am delighted and proud that our Azadi Kooch yatra rescued land that had been encroached on for the past 50 years by anti-social groups, "Mevani stated.

    It may be mentioned that the accused was found guilty of being a part of an unlawful assembly by the court last month, under section 143 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

    Moreover, all the convicts were sentenced to three months imprisonment and a fine of ₹1,000 each.