Hardik sedition case: Final hearing on discharge plea from Oct 9

The Gujarat High Court will begin next month the final hearing on Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel's plea to discharge him from a sedition case filed by the Crime Branch in 2015 following statewide violence after his rally.

While the discharge plea was filed before the high court in April, Hardik's lawyers filed another plea earlier this month requesting the court to start the hearing at the earliest as the lower court was about to start the process of framing of charges against him.

Admitting the request plea filed by Hardik's lawyers, Justice A Y Kogje Thursday said the final hearing on the main discharge plea would begin on October 9.

Hardik had approached high court after the city sessions court, in February, rejected his discharge application, thereby allowing framing of charges against him in the sedition case.

Hardik, who heads the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), had moved his discharge plea before the sessions court on the ground that there was no evidence against him for framing of charges and that the prosecution case against him did not hold ground.

However, the sessions court had accepted the prosecution argument that there was material evidences available against Hardik on the basis of which charges can be framed.

While rejecting Hardik's plea, the sessions court had noted that evidence against the accused, in the form of speeches, conversations and FSL records, establishes the offence as mentioned in the FIR.

He is currently out on bail in this sedition case in which he, along with five others, is accused of inciting violence with the intention to dislodge the government after a rally addressed by him turned violent in August 2015.

At least 13 people died in the violence.