THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government on Thursday moved a petition seeking cancellation of bail granted by the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court to Kerala Janapaksham leader PC George in the hate speech case. The petition was filed before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court II in Thiruvananthapuram, which accepted the petition and posted the case to May 11 for hearing.
The petition filed by assistant public prosecutor Uma C V said George flouted bail conditions immediately after being released on bail. George had said that he firmly stood by his statements and repeated it in several other venues. It was also argued that there was procedural irregularity on the part of the magistrate court while granting bail as the prosecutor was not heard. It was also argued that the gravity of the offence committed was not taken into account by the magistrate and granting bail to George, who was arrested under Sections 153 A and 295 A, had sent a wrong message to the public. George was arrested in connection with the speech he had delivered against the Muslim community during the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan on April 29.
Though booked under non-bailable Sections, George was granted bail by magistrate Asha Koshy on Sunday, the same day he was arrested. George was produced before the magistrate in the absence of the assistant public prosecutor and bail was granted without hearing the prosecution.
The absence of the prosecutor and granting of bail without hearing the prosecution had precipitated a big controversy. The bail order, meanwhile, had revealed that George was granted bail on the basis of the feeble remand report filed by police before the magistrate court.