Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, 9 Others Get 3-Month Jail Term In 2017 'Azadi' March Case

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."

Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani (Source: AFP)

New Delhi: A magisterial court in Gujarat's Mehsana on Thursday convicted Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani and nine others in a case of holding a rally without the permission of the police. The court has convicted Jignesh in a case of illegal assembly in Mehsana city in July 2017. The court has sentenced all of them to three months imprisonment and a fine of one thousand rupees each. According to the reports of The Indian Express, apart from Mevani, the accused convicted include NCP leader Reshma Patel. 

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.

On July 12, 2017, the Vadgam MLA and his supporters led an 'Azadi march' to Dhanera in Banaskantha district to mark one year of the beating of Dalits in Una. The case of thrashing of Dalits had gained a lot of momentum then. Kaushik Parmar, one of Mevani's aides, had sought permission from the executive magistrate of Mehsana to hold the rally under the banner of Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, which was initially granted.

While pronouncing the verdict convicting the 10 accused, the court observed that the accused could have challenged the executive magistrate's order before the appropriate higher authorities and then held a rally after getting due permission.

The Mehsana police had registered a case of unlawful assembly against them under section 143 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as they were not allowed to hold the march. Police filed chargesheet against 12 people in the case.

At present Jignesh Mevani is out on bail. Mevani was arrested from Gujarat by the Assam Police for his controversial tweet against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Then Jignesh Mevani got bail from Kokrajhar Court. However, soon after, the police arrested Jignesh in another police station for misbehaving with a female policeman.

On April 26, a court in Assam's Barpeta district sent Gujarat MLA to five-day police custody in connection with an assault case filed by a woman police officer.

Mevani was arrested again on April 25, soon after he was granted bail in a case related to a tweet criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mevani was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 294 (Obscene acts and songs), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) was registered.