Varun withdraws bail plea from Delhi High Court

BJP leader Varun Gandhi against whom FIR was lodged for making inflammatory communal speeches during election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, today withdrew his bail plea from the Delhi High Court.

The Counsel appearing for 29-year-old politician submitted before the Court that Varun seeks to withdraw the petition in view of Allahabad High Court's order dismissing his plea for quashing criminal proceedings for making speech.

Justice Reva Khetrapal accepted his plea and allowed him to withdraw the petition.

"Without going into maintainability issue and in the merit of the case, the petition is dismissed as withdrawn," the Court said.

With this, the stay on his arrest granted by the court on March 20 stands vacated.

The High Court had restrained the police from taking any coercive action against him for the alleged inflammatory communal speech till Allahabad High Court decides his plea on quashing of FIR against him.

The Allahabad High Court had on March 25 rejected his plea for quashing of an FIR filed against him for his alleged anti-Muslim speeches in Pilibhit.

In his petition, 29-year-old Gandhi had challenged the FIR filed on March 17 at Barkheda Police Station under Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

The charges entail a maximum punishment of three years jail term or fine or both.