Relief for Hardik Patel: Gujarat HC temporarily relaxes bail condition, permits him to enter Mehsana

The condition now stands relaxed for Hardik Patel for a period of one year, until November 2023.

(File)

BJP’s candidate for Viramgam, Hardik Patel, for the upcoming Gujarat polls, Friday, was granted temporary relaxation of a bail condition that barred him from entering the limits of Mehsana by the Gujarat high court. The condition now stands relaxed for Hardik for a period of one year, until November 2023.

Hardik had submitted before the court that when the bail condition was imposed, the trial was pending before the court and has since been convicted, sentenced to two years’ of imprisonment in July 2018 by a Visnagar court for rioting and arson in relation to a 2015 FIR. The high court in August 2018 had suspended the sentence and his appeal against the conviction remains pending before the high court at present. The Supreme Court in April this year had suspended the order of conviction.

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Hardik also submitted through his advocate Rafik Lokhandwala that he is a BJP member, has been given candidature by BJP to contest the Assembly election, and will be required to travel frequently in various parts of Gujarat, including to Mehsana, for “campaigning and fulfilling the political obligation cast upon him”.

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It was also submitted that the temple of Umiya Mataji is also situated in Unjha, Mehsana, and due to the “harsh condition” of bail, Hardik has been “unable to attend social and religious functions, even though he has been invited in Mehsana on number of occasions”.

The court of Justice S H Vora Friday permitted the relaxation of the bail condition for a period of one year. Hardik has also moved an application for temporary deletion of the condition, which remains pending before the Gujarat high court, which is expected to be taken up next in January 2023.

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