Gujarat court acquits Cong MLA Mevani, 30 others in 2017 rail blockade case

Ahmedabad: A metropolitan court here on Tuesday acquitted Congress legislator Jignesh Mevani and 30 others in a 2017 case of obstructing a train as a mark of protest against the state government's policies.

The court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate P N Goswami acquitted Dalit leader Mevani and others after giving them the benefit of doubt.

Mevani and others were booked by Ahmedabad railway police in 2017 for blocking a Rajdhani train for nearly 20 minutes at Kalupur railway station here as part of a 'rail roko' protest call given by them to protest against the state government's policies.

A case was registered against him along with 30 others under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to unlawful assembly, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty, and criminal conspiracy. Thirteen out of 31 accused were women.

They were also booked under section 153 of the Railways Act that deals with endangering the safety of persons travelling by railway by rash or negligent act.

Mevani represents Vadgam assembly constituency as a Congress MLA and is a convener at NGO Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch.

A sessions court had in 2021 refused to discharge him in the case.

In November last year, Mevani and six others were acquitted in another case registered against them in 2016 for unlawful assembly, rioting and causing damage to public property at Income Tax crossroads in Ahmedabad.

They were detained by the police for organising a demonstration without police permission, and were accused of vandalising a police vehicle, engaging in disorderly conduct and rioting. They were protesting in solidarity with the sanitation workers of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.