In a dramatic post-midnight development, the Gujarat High Court had directed the state government to find Hardik Patel, spearhead of Patel quota stir, after an aide moved a habeas corpus petition alleging that Hardik had been illegally detained by police.
Finally Hardik Patel has been traced. Leader of Patil quota agitation in Gujarat, Hardik Patel is currently in Halwad, located about 155 kilometres away from Ahmedabad.
This has been communicated by Hardik Patel's lawyer BM Mangukiya, reports NDTV. According to the report, Hardik communicated his location via SMS to his lawyer and currently Mangukiya is travelling to Halwad to meet the young leader.
In a dramatic post-midnight development, the Gujarat High Court had directed the state government to find Hardik Patel, spearhead of Patel quota stir, after an aide moved a habeas corpus petition alleging that Hardik had been illegally detained by police.
Police had earlier claimed that Hardik had given them a slip when they went to detain him after he organised a public meeting allegedly without prior permission in Aravali district. In a rare move, a division comprising justices MR Shah and K J Thaker heard the petition at 1.20 AM with Hardik's aide Dinesh Patel seeking court's intervention to direct authorities to produce Hardik.
The court issued notice to the Gujarat government, Director General of Police, Range Inspector General and Arvali District Superintendent of Police directing them to file reply on Thursday. Public prosecutor Mitesh Amin said Hardik is not police custody. However, the high court asked the state government to find Hardik saying "he is a citizen of the country".
The hearing conducted at the residence of one of the two judges concluded 2.40 AM.
The petitioner submitted that he was with Hardik when the police tried to detain the 22-year-old leader. He alleged that Hardik must have been in police custody Hardik had on Tuesday organised a public meeting in Bayad taluka of Aravali district allegedly without prior permission. After the meeting, police tried to detain him but according to IG Hasmukh Patel he managed to evade them.
Police later registered an FIR against Hardik and 20 others for violating prohibitory orders.
With agency inputs
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