AHMEDABAD: In a setback to Gujarat BJP MLA Hardik Patel, a rural court in Ahmedabad on Wednesday dismissed his plea to drop the charges in a case of misconduct with the police.
The 30-year-old leader, who rose to prominence after leading a Patidar movement in the state in 2015, faces nearly 30 cases, including two of sedition. Several of these cases were registered against him when he was spearheading the agitation for granting the reservation status to the Patel community, which at times turned violent.
The case of misconduct towards police was filed when he was to fast for the reservation demand. Nine persons, including Patel, were named in FIR lodged at Nikol police station in Ahmedabad. Patel said he will now have to approach the Sessions Court for relief.
Earlier this year, Patel was exonerated of charges in a five-year-old case by the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. The case was related to a political speech during an event, which allegedly violated the terms set by the authorities before allowing the event.
Patel had joined the Congress after the 2017 Assembly elections and was appointed its working president. However, he resigned from Congress in 2022, before the Vidhan Sabha elections and joined the BJP. He was elected as an MLA from Ahmedabad’s Viramgam Assembly constituency on a BJP ticket.