Former Kerala MLA's bail in hate speech case revoked

Senior politician and former MLA P C George was taken into custody on Wednesday in connection with the case of his hate speech in Kochi. His anticipatory bail, which was granted for another case of hate speech made in Thiruvananthapuram, was also cancelled.

George’s arrest led to a tense law-and-order situation in Kochi as Muslim outfits staged protests, while BJP top leaders, including state president K Surendran, turned up to support George.

The police had to use force to remove the protesters.

George surrendered to the Kochi City Police on Wednesday afternoon. He, however, had already obtained interim bail from Kerala High Court for the case registered against him for a hate speech given by him during a function at a temple in Vennala, Kochi, targeting a minority community. He had also been reportedly absconding after the case was registered.

In the meantime, a Thiruvananthapuram court cancelled the bail given to him in a hate speech case registered in the city against him. The court cancelled the bail as George violated the terms of bail by repeating the offence.

On Monday, the Kerala High Court had granted George anticipatory bail till May 26 in the Vennala hate speech case but had specified it would have no bearing on the Thiruvananthapuram hate speech case.

Subsequently, a police team from Thiruvananthapuram went to Kochi to take him into custody. He is likely to be produced before the court on Thursday, said police sources.

George’s son Shaun George told reporters they would approach the High Court for bail. The high court is likely to hear on Thursday Kerala Police's petition to cancel George’s bail in the Vennala hate speech case.

George was initially arrested on May 1 for his hate speech at a Hindu meet in the state capital. He had, however, obtained bail from a local court on the same day. The move triggered allegations that the police and prosecution did not object to the bail as there was a political nexus between the ruling CPM and Sangh Parivar outfits.

The BJP and other Sangh Parivar outfits strongly supported George. He was even felicitated after his arrest, and senior leaders including Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan had met George while he was in police custody.

George, who was a prominent member of the Kerala Congress party for many years, has often invited criticism for using bad language against opponents. He hails from Poonjar in the Kottayam district and, over the years, has been associated with both Congress-led United Democratic Front and CPM-led Left Democratic Front. Recently, he had also been affiliated with the NDA for a brief period. In 2016, he floated his own party, Kerala Janapaksham (Secular).