Hardik Patel Can’t Contest Polls as Gujarat HC Refuses to Stay Conviction in Rioting Case, Can’t Contest Polls

Assuming a heavy blow to the controversial political aspirations of Patidar community leader Hardik Patel in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Gujarat High Court rejected his request for the suspension of his sentence in a case of unrest in 2015. Patel He had requested the suspension due to conviction to him being prohibited, under the Law of Representation of the Persons of 1951, to contest the election of Lok Sabha.

Patel had requested a suspension of his conviction in the case of riots earlier this month. In 2015, he directed the agitation of Patidar in Gujarat, which brought the state to a standstill to demand reservations from Patidars. Around 9 people lost their lives in the violence that followed and the Army had to be deployed to take control of the situation. Last year, in July, a Sessions Court in Visnagar found Patel guilty of causing a Mehasana riot and sentenced him to two years in prison. He was found guilty of crimes of arson and creating a mess in the BJP MLA Rushikesh Patel office. Of the 17 defendants, only three were found guilty by the court, including Hardik Patel. Apart from the term of the jail, they were also fined Rs 50,000 each. But the court had granted them bail against bonds of 15,000 rupees.

Gujarat High court rejects Congress leader Hardik Patel’s plea seeking suspension of his conviction in a rioting case of 2015 in Mehsana. As per the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Hardik Patel won’t be able to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha Election due to his conviction pic.twitter.com/qmiuGwHMa3

— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2019

In addition to the case of riots in which he was convicted, Hardik Patel also faces a case of sedition in Gujarat that carries the maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The case was filed after he had called “kill police” in 2015. He was also charged with insulting the national flag, which was later withdrawn

Shortly after the dates for the Lok Sabha elections were announced in 2019, Patel joined the Congress Party to “serve 125 million people in the country,” as declared by him.