'Fight For Allotment Of Rightful Land To Dalits Will Continue': Mevani On 'Azadi' March Case Verdict

Jignesh Mevani along with the then-student leader Kanhaiya Kumar along with others took out an 'Azaadi Kooch' on the first anniversary of the lynching incident in Una.

Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani (Source: File photo/AFP)

New Delhi: Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani on Thursday said his fight for the allotment of rightful land to landless Dalits would continue "irrespective of wherever I am" after a Gujarat court convicted the independent MLA for holding an 'Azadi march' without permission in 2017. A magisterial court in Mehsana on Thursday sentenced Mevani and nine others to three months of imprisonment.

Jai Samvidhan, Jai Hind. pic.twitter.com/56l63QV9sw

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) May 5, 2022

The court of Additional Chief Justice JA Parmar, while delivering the verdict in the matter, said, "it is not an offence to hold rally but it is an offence to hold rally without permission." The court also said that disobedience will never be tolerated.

"As a result of the march, thousands of landless Dalits got possession of their rightful land after 49 years. Taking this forward, more than 1500 acres of illegally occupied land worth Rs 300 crores was reclaimed for Dalits of Gujarat," said Jignesh on his Twitter.

Mevani attacked the BJP govt for action against those who fight for poor landless Dalits.

"It is an irony that despite laws like Land Grabbing Act & Atrocities Act in force, instead of those illegally occupying land of poor Dalits, BJP govt's priority is to go behind those who fight for poor landless Dalits," he added.

The case pertains to a rally without permission on July 2, 2017, when Jignesh Mevani and NCP leaders Reshma Patel, Subodh Parmar took out a freedom march in Mehsana despite the administration's ban. 

Jignesh Mevani along with the then-student leader Kanhaiya Kumar along with others took out an 'Azaadi Kooch' on the first anniversary of the lynching incident in Una. 

The Mehsana district administration had canceled the earlier permission given to Mevani to take out the march. The Mehsana police had registered a case against him for conducting an illegal march under section 143 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court convicted them and sentenced them to three months in jail today.