Rally over Una Dalit flogging case: Gujarat court acquits Jignesh Mevani, nine others

The sessions court ordered acquittal of all the 10 convicts while holding that the case against them was 'baseless'

A district court in Mehsana on Wednesday acquitted Congress MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and nine others in connection with the case of taking out a public rally without police permission.

Reversing the judgement of a magisterial court which had held Mevani and others guilty and sentenced them to three months imprisonment, the sessions court ordered the acquittal of all the 10 convicts while holding that the case against them was "baseless".

After the session's court order, Mevani tweeted, "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."

A local court in Mehsana had sentenced independent MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and nine others to three months imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each after holding them guilty in a criminal case registered in 2017 for taking out a rally without police permission.

Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, an organisation Mevani heads, had taken out a public rally 'Azadi Kooch' from Mehsana town to Dhanera in Banaskantha district on July 12, 2017 to mark the first anniversary of flogging of Dalit youths in Una, Gir Somnath district by a group of cow vigilantes.

The local police had denied them permission on the ground of "law and order" issues but the organisers proceeded with the rally. Subsequently, 'A' division police station in Mehsana town registered an FIR for unlawful assembly under section 143.

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