THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former MLA and Kerala Janapaksham leader PC George, who was arrested for violating the bail condition in the Thiruvananthapuram hate speech case, has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody by the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court. In the remand report, the police said there were chances George would repeat the offence if not arrested.
George’s speech was part of a conspiracy and was made with an intention to create enmity between communities. The repetition of the speech was done with an ulterior motive and the voice sample needed to be examined. The bail conditions were also violated, the report said. George was lodged in the district jail after he tested negative for Covid.
However, he was later shifted to Poojapura Central Jail on account of his medical condition. He had earlier complained of hypertension and was shifted to the hospital block of the central jail as it has the services of doctors.
George was arrested by police officers from Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday after he surrendered before Palarivattom police in the Vennala hate speech case. From Ernakulam, he was brought to Thiruvananthapuram AR Camp under heavy security. He was then produced before Vanchiyoor court, which sent him to judicial custody.
A local court on May 1 had granted George bail after he was booked under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs). The case was registered against the senior politician for his unsavoury remarks against the Muslim community during Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelanam. One of the bail conditions was that he should not make and propagate statements which may hurt the sentiments of others.
However, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Wednesday accepted the government’s plea seeking cancellation of his bail saying that George had flouted the bail condition by making provocative remarks at Vennala Sree Mahadeva temple. The court had found that the transcript of the speech produced by the defence lawyer and the footage produced by the prosecution were matching and the latter portions of George’s speech contained highly provocative remarks capable of promoting disharmony, hatred and ill-will between different religious groups.
HC BREATHER IN VENNALA HATE SPEECH CASE
Kochi: The High Court on Thursday restrained the police from recording the arrest of P C George in a case registered in connection with the alleged inflammatory remarks he made at a temple festival at Vennala in Kochi. The court also directed the director-general of prosecution to inform it of the purpose the police would achieve by keeping George in custody for interrogation when the videos of both his speeches were available. The court issued the directive when the bail pleas of George came up for hearing. It will hear his anticipatory bail plea in the hate speech case registered by Palarivattom police and the bail plea in Thiruvananthapuram hate speech case on May 27.