Ahmedabad court suspends Jignesh Mevani's sentence

Dalit leader and a working president of Gujarat Congress, Jignesh Mevani, has approached a city sessions court challenging his conviction, six-month imprisonment, and fine imposed by a metropolitan court last month.

Mevani's advocate requested the court to suspend the sentence and order of conviction.

Additional sessions judge A B Bhojak suspended his sentence till the final disposal of his appeal.

The judge granted him conditional bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 15,000.

Mevani and 18 of his associates were convicted for staging a demonstration in 2016, demanding that an under-construction building of Gujarat University be named after Dr B R Ambedkar.

While recording the conviction, the metropolitan magistrate suspended his sentence for one month, allowing them to challenge their conviction.

Mevani and his co-agitators were punished for unlawful assembly and abetment for their demonstration that had taken place on November 15, 2016, at Vijay Crossroads.

The police chargesheet, which cited 12 witnesses, said that Mevani and other agitators staged the demonstration on the road, blocking traffic.

They were shouting slogans and had removed their clothes which was an act of obscenity. They were protesting the atrocities being committed against the Dalit community.

This is the second case in which Mevani has been convicted. In May, a magisterial court in Mehsana sentenced him to three months in jail for taking out a rally without police permission in 2017.