New Delhi: Justice Amitav Roy of the Supreme Court on Wednesday recused himself in the hearing in the appeal filed by Gujarat’s Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (Paas) leader Hardik Patel for quashing sedition charges registered against him by the Gujarat police under 124A of IPC (sedition) and 115 IPC (abetment of the offence). Justice Amitav Roy who was part of the bench along with Justice V. Gopala Gowda heard the matter for 45 minutes from senior Congress leader and advocate Kapil Sibal faulting the state government for slapping sedition charges. But thereafter, the bench in a terse observation said “this matter will go before another bench”. Mr Sibal argued that Hardik’s alleged controversial statement asking the agitators to kill policemen was made on October 3, but the sedition charge was slapped on him on October 18. Mr Sibal argued that the entire prosecution against Hardik was a malafide exercise of power by the state which ought to be quashed.
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