A Barpeta court in Assam on Monday set August 5 as the next date of hearing in a case filed against Congress Leader and an MLA from Gujarat’s Vadgam constituency, Jignesh Mevani.
A case had been filed against Jignesh Mevani in Assam’s Barpeta and Kokrajhar over his alleged derogatory tweet against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking after the hearing today, Jignesh Mevani told reporters, “Today is International Justice Day, so I hope that those who are eagerly awaiting justice, are served with it. Everyone should be treated equally before the law, and I hope this guy from Gujarat (himself) also gets justice.”
He said, “So today, on International Justice Day, I came to appear before the court here in Assam for my hearing. I respect the court of law and the Constitution of India. There may several false cases against me, however, since the chargesheet has been filed, I will respectfully go through the entire process of getting justice. I am hoping that along with me, everyone in this country and around the world, who is awaiting justice, shall get what they deserve.”
Batting questions on the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha general elections, Mevani said, “Congress will perform well in Assam. On the national level also we will perform well. All the opposition parties are coming together to fight against the injustice prevalent under this government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There are several problems facing the country at the moment that the government has failed to address. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi has opened his shop of love where every Indian will find what they are looking for. So we are confident that the people will look to us this time.”
Jignesh Mevani was also asked about the problems arising due to the delimitation draft in Assam to which he said, “This is a matter for the people of Assam, the government here and the Congress unit here. I just want to say that I have come from Gujarat with open arms of friendship. And now, due to this case that I am facing, the friendship between both the states is also brewing.”
It may be noted that the Congress leader from Gujarat had arrived in Guwahati on Sunday ahead of his hearing at the Barpeta court today. Having arrived in Guwahati, Jignesh Mevani told reporters, “I respect the court of law. I do not have any enmity with anyone. The government will put forward its arguments in the court and I will put forward mine.”
Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government, he said, “The government is targeting political entities like me. However, the Congress party is seeing an upturn in fortunes following the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the people’s mandate in Karnataka elections.”
“The Congress respects every religion. All opposition parties should put their differences aside and join hands to fight BJP. This will ensure good results and will help in saving the constitution. We are hoping that the Bharat Jodo Yatra will be fruitful in view of the 2024 elections,” added Jignesh Mevani.
The Dalit leader from Gujarat, Mevani was released from jail after completing legal formalities in Assam’s Kokrajhar in April 2022. The court had sent him to five days of police custody after he was accused of assaulting a policewoman while being taken by a police posse from Guwahati to Kokrajhar.
Jignesh Mevani had been picked up by a posse of Assam Police from Gujarat and was arrested in a case against him for a purported tweet on PM Modi where he had claimed that the Prime Minister “considered Godse as God”.
In the same tweet, he had urged PM Modi to appeal for communal harmony during his visit to Gujarat, according to the FIR filed at Kokrajhar Police Station in Assam, reported PTI.
After he was released on bail, Mevani was rearrested after being charged with assaulting a policewoman who was part of the police posse which accompanied him to Kokrajhar, according to a complaint registered against him in Barpeta.
In this case, he was booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 294, 323, 353 and 354 for allegedly uttering obscene words in public, voluntarily causing hurt, assaulting a public servant in the execution of duty and using criminal force on a woman intending to outrage her modesty, respectively.
