Now, Jignesh Mevani sentenced to three months in jail for unlawful assembly
Convicted and sentenced along with nine others for holding protests on the one-year anniversary of the infamous Una flogging incident
Image Courtesy:indianexpress.com
It appears that the regime has put Jignesh Mevani firmly in its crosshairs. Just days after he was granted bail and released in two cases by Assam courts, the independent Member of Parliament (MLA) from Vadgam in Gujarat has now been found guilty of unlawful assembly.
The case pertains to a protest organised by the Dalit rights activist on July 12, 2017. This was one year after the incident in Una where men from a Dalit family were flogged publicly in a blatant display of caste-based violence in Gujarat. Mevani and nine others, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Reshma Patel, were held guilty of holding the rally without police permission.
Bar and Bench quoted the court as observing, “It is not an offence to hold rally but it is an offence to hold rally without permission… disobedience can never be tolerated.”
Amidst all this, it is noteworthy that a member of Mevani’s team had sought permission for the rally from the Mehsana Executive Magistrate and permission was granted initially. However, it was revoked later. According to Bar and Bench, the Court said that the accused could have challenged the order of the executive magistrate revoking permission for the rally and then held the same with permission.
Chief Judicial Magistrate JA Parmar convicted ten people and sentenced them to three months in jail along with a fine of Rs 1,000/- each.
Mevani returned to Gujarat from Assam just this weekend after getting bail in two cases. The first pertained to two allegedly offensive tweets against Narendra Modi, and the second one regarding assaulting an on-duty police officer. The Assam police had arrested Mevani on the night of Thursday, April 20, 2022 from a circuit house in Palanpur in Gujarat and first took him to Ahmedabad overnight and then flown him to Assam the following day. Throughout this process, neither Mevani, nor his team were given a copy of the FIR or even told what charges he was picked up on. Mevani claims he wasn’t even allowed to talk to his lawyers or his family until he was at the Kokrajhar Police Station.
He was granted bail in that case on Monday, April 25, but re-arrested shortly under what were seen as trumped-up charges where he was not only accused of assaulting a police officer on duty but also outraging her modesty in the process. Mevani was granted bail in this case too on Friday, April 29, and the Barpeta court even made scathing observations against the police. The court had surmised, “In view of the above testimony of the victim woman, the instant case is manufactured for the purpose of keeping the accused Jignesh Mevani in detention for a longer period, abusing the process of the court and the law.” However, these comments were later stayed by the Gauhati High Court.
Related:
Barpeta Sessions Court hauls Assam Police over the coals for “manufactured case” against Jignesh Mevani
BREAKING: Jignesh Mevani gets bail in assault case in Assam
Barpeta court rejects Jignesh Mevani’s bail in assault case
BREAKING: Jignesh Mevani re-arrested after getting bail in Assam
BREAKING: Assam court grants Jignesh Mevani bail
Assam court remands Jignesh Mevani to three days police custody
Jignesh Mevani arrested over tweet against PM Modi
Now, Jignesh Mevani sentenced to three months in jail for unlawful assembly
Convicted and sentenced along with nine others for holding protests on the one-year anniversary of the infamous Una flogging incident
Image Courtesy:indianexpress.com
It appears that the regime has put Jignesh Mevani firmly in its crosshairs. Just days after he was granted bail and released in two cases by Assam courts, the independent Member of Parliament (MLA) from Vadgam in Gujarat has now been found guilty of unlawful assembly.
The case pertains to a protest organised by the Dalit rights activist on July 12, 2017. This was one year after the incident in Una where men from a Dalit family were flogged publicly in a blatant display of caste-based violence in Gujarat. Mevani and nine others, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Reshma Patel, were held guilty of holding the rally without police permission.
Bar and Bench quoted the court as observing, “It is not an offence to hold rally but it is an offence to hold rally without permission… disobedience can never be tolerated.”
Amidst all this, it is noteworthy that a member of Mevani’s team had sought permission for the rally from the Mehsana Executive Magistrate and permission was granted initially. However, it was revoked later. According to Bar and Bench, the Court said that the accused could have challenged the order of the executive magistrate revoking permission for the rally and then held the same with permission.
Chief Judicial Magistrate JA Parmar convicted ten people and sentenced them to three months in jail along with a fine of Rs 1,000/- each.
Mevani returned to Gujarat from Assam just this weekend after getting bail in two cases. The first pertained to two allegedly offensive tweets against Narendra Modi, and the second one regarding assaulting an on-duty police officer. The Assam police had arrested Mevani on the night of Thursday, April 20, 2022 from a circuit house in Palanpur in Gujarat and first took him to Ahmedabad overnight and then flown him to Assam the following day. Throughout this process, neither Mevani, nor his team were given a copy of the FIR or even told what charges he was picked up on. Mevani claims he wasn’t even allowed to talk to his lawyers or his family until he was at the Kokrajhar Police Station.
He was granted bail in that case on Monday, April 25, but re-arrested shortly under what were seen as trumped-up charges where he was not only accused of assaulting a police officer on duty but also outraging her modesty in the process. Mevani was granted bail in this case too on Friday, April 29, and the Barpeta court even made scathing observations against the police. The court had surmised, “In view of the above testimony of the victim woman, the instant case is manufactured for the purpose of keeping the accused Jignesh Mevani in detention for a longer period, abusing the process of the court and the law.” However, these comments were later stayed by the Gauhati High Court.
Related:
Barpeta Sessions Court hauls Assam Police over the coals for “manufactured case” against Jignesh Mevani
BREAKING: Jignesh Mevani gets bail in assault case in Assam
Barpeta court rejects Jignesh Mevani’s bail in assault case
BREAKING: Jignesh Mevani re-arrested after getting bail in Assam
BREAKING: Assam court grants Jignesh Mevani bail
Assam court remands Jignesh Mevani to three days police custody
Jignesh Mevani arrested over tweet against PM Modi
Related articles
Related Articles
Communalism
Hate and the Balasore train tragedy: Welcome to 2023 India
A temple near the accident site, an ISKCON temple was dubbed a Mosque to spin conspiracy theories. If you thought that the worst train tragedy possibly since Independence should unite all Indians in a moment of stunned grief, think again. The sponsored Hate Ecosystem on Twitter and other social media found even this an occasion to spin hate tales and spew venom: Welcome to 2023 India
Communalism
Hate and the Balasore train tragedy: Welcome to 2023 India
A temple near the accident site, an ISKCON temple was dubbed a Mosque to spin conspiracy theories. If you thought that the worst train tragedy possibly since Independence should unite all Indians in a moment of stunned grief, think again. The sponsored Hate Ecosystem on Twitter and other social media found even this an occasion to spin hate tales and spew venom: Welcome to 2023 India
Theme
Taliban in Afghanistan: A look back
Campaigns
Videos
Communalism
Bastar violence: Anti-Christian Campaign causes breach in Adivasi unity
Hundreds of Adivasi church-goers across villages in Narayanpur and Bastar, Chhattisgarh have been experiencing boycott, intimidation and violence since December last year, forcing them to leave their homes and live in refugee camps. Reportedly, Adivasi districts across Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh is seeing a rise Hindutva mobilisation against Christians .
Communalism
Bastar violence: Anti-Christian Campaign causes breach in Adivasi unity
Hundreds of Adivasi church-goers across villages in Narayanpur and Bastar, Chhattisgarh have been experiencing boycott, intimidation and violence since December last year, forcing them to leave their homes and live in refugee camps. Reportedly, Adivasi districts across Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh is seeing a rise Hindutva mobilisation against Christians .
Archives
IN FACT
Podcasts
Analysis
Taliban in Afghanistan: A look back
Freedom
Govt teacher suspended for FB post critical of K’ka CM Siddaramaiah’s freebies
