A sessions court in Ahmedabad on Monday dismissed a petition from the Gujarat government that sought to cancel the bail granted to Hardik Patel in connection with a riots case during the Patel quota agitation in 2015, reported PTI.
Last month, a court in Mehsana district sentenced Patel and two of his aides, Lalji Patel and AK Patel, to two years in jail. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader was found guilty of vandalising Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Rishikesh Patel’s office. Hardik Patel was granted temporary bail soon after the verdict so that he could file an appeal in the Gujarat High Court.
The High Court later suspended his jail sentence and granted him bail on the condition that he would not enter the jurisdiction of Ramol police station, where the case was registered. The state government sought cancellation of his bail on the grounds that he had recently entered the area.
Patel has been on an indefinite fast in Ahmedabad since Saturday to press for reservation for the Patidar community in government jobs and education. The 25-year-old Patidar leader has vowed not to eat till the state government agrees to grant the community “Other Backward Class” status and waive the loans of farmers.
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