Shah chargesheeted in hate speech case during LS polls

Shah during the said rally had urged to seek revenge for the Muzaffarnagar riots

BJP President Amit Shah was on Wednesday chargesheeted by police for an alleged hate speech during campaigning in Muzaffarnagar for the Lok Sabha elections. The chargesheet was filed in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Manoj Sidhu in connection with a speech he had made allegedly in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

The charges were filed against Shah under Section 123(3) of Representation of the People Act for allegedly seeking votes on the grounds of religion, race, caste and community and under Section 188 of the IPC relating to disobedience to order promulgated by public servant.

The police had registered a case against the BJP chief for allegedly violating the model code following a direction from the Election Commission, which had also banned him from campaigning in the state on April 4. The FIR was lodged against Shah in New Mandi police station by a district official and the case was handed over to sub-inspector B L Shah for investigation.

Shah had landed in a major controversy for allegedly saying that the 2014 Lok Sabha polls were an opportunity to seek "revenge for the insult" inflicted during the riots in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh last year.

Taking note of the "revenge" remark by Shah, the EC had issued a notice to him for prima facie violation of the model code. Shah had denied having violated the model code and asked EC to reconsider its notice to him claiming that the remarks were not recorded in the right perspective. The ban on him was later lifted.