PC George under remand till 6 pm today over calling Muslims terrorists

The Erattupetta court on Monday granted police custody of BJP leader and former Poonjar MLA P C George till 6 pm in a hate speech case, while observing that further interrogation or evidence collection was unnecessary and stating that his bail plea would be considered later in the day after the custody period concluded.

After days of high drama, BJP leader P C George surrendered before a magistrate court in Kottayam, whose anticipatory bail plea in a case where he called all Muslims terrorists and sought their relocation to Pakistan during a TV debate was rejected by the Kerala High Court on Friday.

After the court denied his plea, citing his violation of bail conditions in a similar case in 2022, when he had been directed not to make statements promoting religious enmity or outraging religious sentiments, he assured the police that he would surrender on Monday at a police station but chose to surrender before a magistrate court, where he pleaded for more time citing health conditions.

The latest case against George stemmed from his remarks during a television discussion on January 5, in which he equated all Muslims in India with terrorists and suggested they should move to Pakistan.

Following this, a resident of Erattupetta filed a police complaint under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to promoting enmity between groups and outraging religious feelings, as well as under a provision of the Kerala Police Act.

The High Court noted that granting anticipatory bail despite his previous violation could set a precedent suggesting that bail conditions could be disregarded without consequences. George, a seven-time former legislator, had previously faced legal action for similar comments, with the court imposing restrictions on his public statements.

George was remanded until March 10 after the Erattupetta Magistrate's Court rejected his bail application. He is being questioned under the leadership of the Pala DySP.