Guwahati: An Assam court in Barpeta district has decided to dismiss charges of obscene acts in public spaces and assault of a public servant in a case involving Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani.
Mevani had been accused in April last year of allegedly assaulting a woman police officer and using obscene language.
The case against Jignesh Mevani started when he was arrested on April 19, 2022, in Palanpur, Gujarat, after posting a tweet about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the tweet, the Congress leader had alleged that the prime minister revered Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi's assassin.
However, on April 25, a court granted him bail, finding no reasonable grounds to keep him in detention related to the tweet.
Shortly after his release, Mevani faced another arrest, this time based on a complaint filed by a woman police officer named Debika Brahma. She accused Mevani of using derogatory language and physically assaulting her during his transfer from Guwahati airport to Kokrajhar district.
In her complaint, Brahma stated, "He [Mevani] pointed a finger towards me and attempted to intimidate me, pushing me forcefully into my seat. He thus assaulted me while I was carrying out my legal duties as a public servant and outraged my modesty by touching me inappropriately during the push."
The charges filed against Jignesh Mevani included Indian Penal Code Sections 294 (committing an obscene act in a public place), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their duty), and 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty).
The Barpeta court has now dropped two sections of the Indian Penal Code, namely 294 and 353, from the case. However, Mevani still faces proceedings related to the remaining charges.
Advocate Bilal Hussain, representing Jignesh Mevani, stated, "We are aware that these two sections have been dropped against him. But we are yet to receive the certified copy, and we will know the details only after receiving it."