Court Acquits Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani, 9 Others In 2017 Rally Case
NDTV
The case dates back to July 2017 when an FIR was lodged against Jignesh Mevani and others for taking out an "Azadi march" without police permission.
A sessions court in Gujarat's Mehsana district on Wednesday set aside a lower court order sentencing Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani and nine others to three months in jail in a 2017 case of taking out a public rally without police permission, noting debates and bona fide criticism of government actions are essential for the existence of democracy.
In its judgment, the sessions court also quoted former US President Abraham Lincoln, "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and under a just God, cannot long retain it."
Observing that the entire case of prosecution was baseless and without any substance or evidence, Additional Sessions Judge CM Pawar allowed the appeal of Mr Mevani, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Reshma Patel, and others against the May 2022 order of a judicial magistrate court which had found them guilty under sections 143 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Following the conviction, the magistrate's court had sentenced them to three months in jail.
