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AHMEDABAD: Justice R P Dholaria of Gujarat high court on Friday recused himself from hearing a discharge application filed by Patidar quota stir leader, Hardik Patel, in connection with the sedition case lodged against him by Ahmedabad crime branch in 2015.

Patel’s advocate Rafik Lokhandwala said that this matter was listed in the past before Justice Dholaria, but it had never come up for hearing. When the case came up for the hearing, the judge said, "Not before me", and ordered to place the matter to some other bench. The chief justice will not assign the matter to some other bench.

Patel had filed the application in the high court after a trial court here had rejected his discharge application on February 21 this year. The HC had issued a notice to the state government on April 6. He has contended in his application that he is innocent and there is no shred of evidence against him in the chargesheet.

A case of sedition was registered against Hardik and his three associates by the crime branch in October 2015 following the violence that erupted during an agitation in August 2015, when members of the Patidar community were demanding OBC reservation benefits.

He has been accused of inciting violence with the intention to dislodge the government after a rally addressed by him turned violent on August 25, 2015. At least 13 people had died in the violence.

