Hardik Patel won't be able to contest polls after court rejects his plea to suspend 2015 conviction

In a big setback to Congress leader Hardik Patel, the Gujarat High Court has rejected his plea seeking suspension of his conviction in a rioting case of 2015 in Mehsana. As per the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Hardik Patel won't be able to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha Election due to his conviction.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Gujarat government had opposed Patel's plea in the High Court by producing photographic evidence and documents that it claimed established his presence during the incident.

Gujarat High court rejects Congress leader Hardik Patel's plea seeking suspension of his conviction in a rioting case of 2015 in Mehsana. As per the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Hardik Patel won't be able to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha Election due to his conviction pic.twitter.com/qmiuGwHMa3

— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2019

Patel had on March 12 joined the Congress and soon after moved a petition in the high court, seeking a stay on his conviction by the Visnagar sessions court in the case on the ground he intends to contest the next month's Lok Sabha elections.

The sessions court had awarded him two-year jail termm in the 2015 case, which is linked to the Patidar quota agitation led by the 25-year-old leader. The government had, during the previous hearing, submitted an affidavit placing on record list of FIRs lodged against the Patidar leader, while opposing his plea.

In July last year, the sessions court at Visnagar in Mehsana district had sentenced Patel to two years of imprisonment for rioting and arson in Visnagar town in 2015 during the Patidar quota stir. Although the high court had granted him bail and suspended his two-year sentence in August last year, his conviction was not stayed by the court at that time.