The Supreme Court today extended the interim protection from arrest to Congress leader Hardik Patel till March 20. The Patidar leader has been charged in an unlawful assembly case registered in connection with the 2015 Patidar stir for quota for the community in government jobs and educational institutions.
The Supreme Court had granted him anticipatory bail on February 28. The Congress leader had challenged in the top court a decision of the Gujarat High Court refusing him anticipatory bail in the case. The court issued a notice to Gujarat government regarding the same.
In the High Court, the police had argued that there were 10 cases against Patel and he had absconded for nearly a month fearing arrest.
The Supreme court last week indicated that a grant of interim protection for seven days — time enough for the State to file a response to Patel’s appeal — was reasonable.
“If you could not do anything for five years, no harm waiting for seven days”, the court addressed the police.