A court in Gujarat's Jamnagar acquitted BJP legislator Hardik Patel in a five-year-old case on Friday after the prosecution failed to establish the case.
The Patidar leader was accused of giving a political speech at a gathering in violation of the conditions set by the authorities when the event was granted permission.
Manish Nandani, chief judicial magistrate of Jamnagar, cleared Patel and one Ankit Ghadiya of all charges, stating that "the prosecution had failed to establish its case beyond any doubt."
"In addition, the complainant, now a retired government employee, was not aware of all the details in the complaint," the court said.
According to the first information report (FIR) filed at Jamnagar 'A' Division police station, Patel, who later led the Patidar quota agitation under the banner of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), allegedly delivered a "political" speech at a rally in Dhutarpur village of Jamnagar district on November 4, 2017, a month before the 2017 Gujarat state assembly elections. He was allowed on the condition that he speak to the crowd about "education and social reforms."
Ghadiya approached the Mamlatdar's (executive magistrate's) office to obtain permission for the event. However, during the event, Patel was accused of making a "political speech" in violation of the terms of the rally's permission.
Hardik Patel, who left the Congress ahead of the December 2022 Gujarat elections and was later elected as an MLA on a BJP ticket from Ahmedabad's Viramgam constituency, is facing more than two dozen charges, including two sedition cases in Gujarat.
