Sedition case: Court rejects Hardik Patel's discharge plea

Sessions court judge Dilip Mahida rejected Patel's discharge application, thereby allowing framing of charges against him in the case. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader is currently out on bail granted to him by the high court in June 2016. The court accepted the prosecution's plea that there are material evidence against Hardik on the basis of which charges can be framed.

The court said that evidence against the accused in the form of speeches, conversations and forensic evidence establish that Hardik and two others -- Dinesh Bambhania and Chirag Patel -- had hatched a conspiracy and used pressure and threat to force the government to accept their demands. The court also considered the deposition made by another co-accused-turned-approver, Ketan Patel, as evidence against the accused and said that a case was made out against Hardik, Dinesh and Chirag under sections 121 (A), 124 (A) (sedition), and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).