Policewoman seeks Assam CM's nod to move HC against Jignesh Mevani bail

A day after a court in Barpeta district of Assam granted bail to Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani over a case relating to an alleged assault on a policewoman, state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the police official has written to him seeking permission move the High Court against the verdict of the local court. 

Sarma told the media here on Saturday that the police official would move the High Court if she gets the permission. "I don't know much about the case. There was a complaint of manhandling/misbehaviour on a lady police sub-inspector. On the basis of this complaint, the police registered a case. 

The Barpeta sessions court has given a verdict. She has now written to me asking for permission to move the Gauhati High Court against the verdict of the Barpeta Sessions court," the Chief Minister said.

"The file has come to me and if I grant permission then she will move the High court against the Sessions courts verdict. Police have not filed a case. The case was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by the lady police officer," Sarma added. 

Mevani, an Independent MLA in Gujarat, was released from jail earlier today after the local court in Assam granted him bail on Friday in connection with the alleged assault case on a policewoman. Mevani was remanded to five days of police custody by a local court in the Barpeta district on Tuesday in connection with an assault case. 

He was re-arrested by Barpeta Police for allegedly assaulting a policewoman on Monday soon after he was granted bail in the matter connected to his tweets about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mevani was arrested by an Assam police team from Palanpur town in Gujarat over a couple of his tweets. Mevani claimed that he was arrested out of a political vendetta against him. 

The Assam state Congress unit had protested the arrest of the Gujarat legislator. Elected as an independent MLA, Mevani had extended his support to Congress in September 2019.