Ahmedabad court rejects Hardik Patel's bail plea

The city sessions court here today rejected the bail plea of Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel in a case of alleged sedition, observing that he might repeat the offence.
Additional Sessions judge N G Dave rejected Hardik's application filed in January after the Ahmedabad police's filed a charge sheet against him.
Upholding the prosecution's argument that Hardik might indulge in similar acts if released, the judge noted that the violent agitation led by him caused a loss of property worth Rs 40 crore last year.
Hardik's lawyer Dinesh Chaudhury said he will file an appeal in the High Court.

Advocate Chaudhury had argued that sedition is a colonial law enacted by the British to suppress the voice of freedom fighters and it had been invoked wrongfully against the Patel leader who was only fighting for his community.
He also said that the police, who had recorded Hardik's telephonic conversations, failed to link it with the violence during the agitation.
Hardik and three others have been charged with IPC sections 124(A) (sedition), 121 (A) (conspiracy to wage war against government) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy).
They are accused of inciting the violence to mount pressure on the government for accepting the demand of reservations for the Patel community.