senior BJP leader and former MLA P C George.
Kottayam: A Kerala court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to senior BJP leader and former MLA P C George in connection with a hate speech case.
The Kottayam District Sessions Court dismissed George’s plea after he was booked by the Erattupetta police based on a complaint filed by Muslim Youth League leader Muhamed Shihab. The complaint alleged that George made remarks capable of inciting religious hatred during a televised discussion.
George faces charges under Section 196(1)(a) and Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act.
The court had postponed the consideration of the anticipatory bail plea four times. The arguments in the case were completed on Wednesday.
P.C. George responded that he would approach the High Court for further legal recourse.
On January 6, during a discussion on Janam TV, P.C. George made communal remarks. "All Muslims should go to Pakistan. Let us live peacefully here. All Muslims are communal, they have killed thousands of Hindus and Christians. There is not a single Muslim in India who is not a communalist. P.K. Kunhalikutty, K.T. Jaleel, SDPI, Jamaat-e-Islami, all of them together tried to defeat the BJP in Palakkad. In Erattupetta, it was Muslim communalism that caused my defeat."
With the court's decision, George remains vulnerable to arrest as legal proceedings continue in the case.
With PTI inputs
