Shah chargesheeted in hate speech case during LS polls

BJP President Amit Shah was today chargesheeted by the police for his alleged hate speech during campaigning here for the Lok Sabha elections.
The chargesheet was filed against 49-year-old Shah in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Manoj Sidhu in connection with the speech he had made allegedly in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
The charges were filed against Shah under Section 123(3) of Representation of the People Act for allegedly seeking votes on the grounds of religion, race, caste and community and under Section 188 of the IPC relating to disobedience to order promulgated by public servant.

Earlier, the Deputy SP of New Mandi Circle here, Yogender Singh, said the charge sheet has been filed under various sections of IPC, including 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, etc.), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and 505 (false statement, rumour, etc. Circulated with intent to cause mutiny or offence against the public peace), and Section 123-3 of Representation of People Act (making an appeal to vote on the grounds of religion amounting to corrupt practice).
Police had registered a case against Shah for allegedly violating the model code following a direction from the Election Commission, which had also banned him from campaigning in the state on April 4, 2014.

The FIR was lodged against Shah in New Mandi police station by a district official and the case was handed over to Sub-Inspector B L Shah for investigation.
Shah had landed in a major controversy for allegedly saying that the 2014 Lok Sabha polls were an opportunity to seek "revenge for the insult" inflicted during the riots in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh last year.
Taking note of the "revenge" remark by Shah, the EC had issued a notice to him for prima facie violation of the model code. Shah had denied having violated the model code and asked EC to reconsider its notice to him claiming that the remarks were not recorded in the right perspective. The ban on him was later lifted.