Hardik, associates get 2- year jail term
Released on bail after depositing ` 50K fine
Mehsana ( Gujarat), July 25: A Gujarat court on Wednesday sentenced Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and two others to two years imprisonment in a case of rioting and arson in Visnagar town here in July 2015.
Later, Hardik Patel and his two aides — Lalji Patel and A. K. Patel — were granted bail by the same court.
Visnagar sessions court Judge V. P. Agarwal held Hardik Patel, Lalji Patel and A. K. Patel guilty under IPC sections pertaining to rioting, arson, damage to property and unlawful assembly.
The three were awarded two years imprisonment along with a fine of ` 50,000 each, which the trio deposited in the court.
The other 14 accused were let off by the court for want of enough evidence against them.
From the penalty collection of ` 1,50,000, the court ordered that ` 10,000 be
◗ From the penalty collected, the court ordered that ` 10K be given to TV channel reporter Suresh Vanol, ` 1L to the owner of a car torched by the mob and ` 40K to BJP MLA, Rishikesh Patel, for damage to his property
given to TV channel reporter Suresh Vanol, ` 1 lakh to the owner of a car torched by the mob during violence and ` 40,000 to local BJP MLA,
Rishikesh Patel, towards damage caused to his property. Hardik Patel, 25, was one of the accused in the FIR which was filed in Mehsana district on July 23, 2015, when a rally of the Patel community seeking reservation turned violent in Visnagar, resulting in damage to property and assault on some media persons. During the violent agitation, the mob had torched a car and vandalised the office of BJP MLA Rishikesh Patel.
A rally of more than 25,000 people of the Patel community demanding reservation was then at the initial stage of quota movement in Gujarat. At that time, Hardik Patel was not a known figure and was one of the foot soldiers of Lalji Patel, who is the president of the Sardar Patel Group.