Chargesheet filed against Varun for 'hate speech'

A little over four months after his alleged hate speech, which triggered nationwide reaction, the police on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district court, which directed him to appear in court on August 17 next.

The chargesheet, which runs into 117 pages, has listed 39 witnesses and contains a CD, a handycam besides the report of the Chandigarh based Forensic Science Laboratory confirming that the voice on the CD was that of Varun. Varun has been charged under Section 153 (A) (promoting enmity on religious grounds), 188 of the IPC and 125 of the Representation of People’s Act, police sources here said. Chief judicial magistrate Vipin Kumar directed Varun to appear in the court on August 17 next month.

The young MP on March 8 had allegedly made some “anti-Muslim” remarks while addressing an election meeting in Barkhera in Pilibhit district. Cases were registered against him on March 17 at Barkheda police station on direction of the Election Commission.

Varun was arrested by the police on March 28 and later the state governmenthad slapped National Security Act (NSA) against him, which was, however, quashed by the Advisory Board of the Allahabad High Court. He is currently out on bail.
DH News Service