AHMEDABAD: The habeas corpus petition filed late on September 22 night after Hardik Patel , convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti ( PAAS ), apparently vanished, seems to have backfired on him and his colleagues. The state government on Thursday accused Hardik of staging his own abduction and the petitioners of sensationalizing his disappearance by filing a habeas corpus petition.

On Thursday, the Gujarat high court asked the two petitioners — Hardik's associates Dinesh Bambhania and Ketan Patel — for the third time, to prove their allegation that Hardik was abducted from Tenpur village in Aravalli district after he addressed a rally without permission. The court rejected the fresh affidavit filed by the petitioners to withdraw allegations against the police and drop the case, on the ground that it did not contain evidence to substantiate the allegation of abduction. The high court has directed them to file a new affidavit by October 19.

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In its affidavit filed in the high court, the state government accused the petitioners of sensationalizing Hardik’s disappearance by filing a habeas corpus petition.

“Hardik Patel eloped himself putting not only the entire administration but also this court in a very awkward situation,” the state government said in its affidavit. “It was sheer figment of imagination on the part of the petitioners to allege that Hardik Patel had been abducted. In fact, he was never abducted by anybody, much less by the police-like persons in plainclothes,” the affidavit said.

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The government also stated that the habeas corpus petition was filed to create sensation at the cost of public peace, and not out of fear.

