Jignesh Mevani, nine others acquitted by Mehsana court 

The court deplored that right to peaceful protest was enshrined in the democratic set up but by lodging the case, the State violated the fundamental right of the citizens. 

A local court in Gujarat’s Mehsana on Wednesday acquitted Congress legislator Jignesh Mevani and nine others in connection with the case of taking out a public rally without police permission in which he was sentenced to three months jail by the lower court last year. 

The district court revered the judgment of the magisterial court and acquitted Mr. Mevani and nine others. The court held that the case was “baseless.” 

The court deplored that right to peaceful protest was enshrined in the democratic set up but by lodging the case, the State violated the fundamental right of the citizens. 

“Upholding our rights to deliberate, discuss & debate in a democracy  & quoting the prosecutors case to be ‘baseless,’ a session court in Mehsana has acquitted us today in a frivolous case registered by Mehsana police in 2017 for carrying out protest,” Mr. Mevani tweeted after the court’s verdict. 

Apart from Mr. Mevani, former Nationalist Congress Party leader Reshma Patel (now with the Aam Aadmi Party), former student union leader of Jawaharlal Nehru University Kanhaiya Kumar, who is now with the Congress, were among the accused. Mr. Kumar was not convicted as his trial is pending.

As per the details of the case, Mr. Mevani under the banner of Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch had taken out a public rally ‘Azadi Kooch’ from Mehsana to Dhanera in North Gujarat  in July 2017 to mark the first anniversary of the flogging of Dalit youths in Una by a group of cow vigilantes. 

The rally was taken out despite denial of permission from the local police. After the rally, the police had filed a case for unlawful assembly under Section 143.