File chargesheet against Hardik: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Gujarat police to file a chargesheet by Friday in a trial court in a criminal case lodged against quota stir leader Hardik Patel for allegedly instigating Patel community to kill policemen and adopt violent means to “wage war against Gujarat government”. 

However, a bench of justices JS Khehar and C Nagappan refused to look into the draft chargesheet of the police. “It would be inappropriate to look into it. Let the chargesheet be filed in the trial court on or before January 8, 2016. A copy of the charge sheet would be provided to the counsel for the accused in the trial court,” it said. The court fixed January 14 for further hearing the matter. 

It will also hear another plea of Hardik challenging the High Court’s decision declining to quash the sedition charge invoked against him and others in a case lodged for allegedly attacking places like police stations in the state. 

The state police had lodged the case in October against 22-year-old Hardik and five of his close aides on the charge of sedition and waging war against the government. 

Later, Hardik, Chirag Patel, Dinesh Bambhaniya and Ketan Patel were arrested and are currently behind bars. Two other aides of Hardik, Amrish Patel and Alpesh Kathiriya, were not arrested as the high court had granted them interim protection.