Guj govt gets time till Mar 26 from HC to produce docs on Hardik's rioting case

The state government Tuesday sought time from the Gujarat High Court to produce more documents related to Patidar leader Hardik Patel's petition seeking stay of his conviction in a 2015 rioting case so that he can contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

Justice A G Uraizee granted the public prosecutor time till March 26 to submit the documents.

After submitting documents before the court Tuesday, saying that Patel is a habitual offender with several FIRs registered against him in various police stations, the public prosecutor had requested more time from the court to submit more documents.

Patel's lawyer, however, opposed this and argued before the court that the government was wasting time.

Patel had, on March 8, moved the Gujarat High Court to stay his conviction in a 2015 rioting case.

He was convicted in July last year by the Visnagar sessions court in Mehsana district in a case of rioting connected to the Patidar quota stir that took place in 2015.

He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, which bars him from contesting elections as per a Supreme Court order on the issue.

Although the high court granted bail to the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader, and suspended his two year sentence in August last year, his conviction was not stayed by the court.