HC grants bail to MP Cong leader Pateria for anti-Modi remarks

The Madhya Pradesh high court on Monday granted bail to jailed Congress leader and former state minister Raja Pateria, who was arrested in December for his alleged objectional remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A single bench of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi ordered the release of Pateria on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh, his senior counsel and former MP advocate general Shashank Shekhar told PTI.

"I told the court Pateria has been in judicial custody for almost 75 days. Investigations against him had been completed and a charghesheet filed," Shekhar said.

“While seeking bail I submitted before the HC that my client through his statements did not mean to kill anybody (physically). What he meant was to defeat (PM Modi) politically,” maintained the senior counsel.

Shekhar said the government advocate opposed the bail plea of his client.

However, after hearing arguments, the HC granted bail to the Congress leader, he said.

Pateria was arrested on December 13 from his residence at Hata town in Damoh district and is currently lodged in Pawai sub-jail of Panna district.

A court in Pawai town had earlier refused to grant him bail following which his lawyers moved the HC.

The Opposition politician was booked and arrested after a video surfaced on social media in he could be purportedly heard telling Congress workers at a meeting in Pawai, “Be ready to kill Modi.

Kill in the sense of defeating him... Modi will end the elections. Modi will divide on the basis of religion, caste and language."

“The future of Dalits, tribes and minorities is in danger. If you want to save the Constitution, then be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him,” he had said.

Subsequently, a First Information Report was registered against Pateria under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 451 (house-trespass), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (statements conducting public mischief), 506 (criminal intimidation), 115 (abetment of offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life if offence not committed) and 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public).