Kerala court cancels bail of P C George

Thiruvananthapuram
A Magisterial court in Kerala on Wednesday cancelled the bail granted to senior politician P C George in a case accusing him of making a hate speech against Muslims in the State on April 29.
The court allowed the plea moved by the police to cancel the relief granted to George on May 1. Police, in its plea, had contended that the veteran politician violated the bail conditions and, therefore, the bail was liable to be cancelled. The court allowed the plea of the police, George’s lawyer — advocate Ajith Kumar — be confirmed. The lawyer said the senior politician has been asked to appear before the Palarivattom police station in Ernakulam district of the State in connection with another case of hate speech. Subsequently, when he arrived at the police station, workers of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protested there seeking his arrest, according to visuals shown on TV channels. The PDP workers were removed from there and soon thereafter, a large number of BJP workers and State president of the party K Surendran, and its candidate in the Thrikkakara by-election A N Radhakrishnan, arrived at the police station. Surendran said the action taken against Geoge indicates the double standards of the LDF government as it did not take such steps against others who had in the recent past made communally charged remarks in public. He said George would have the support of his party. After he was questioned for some time at the Palarivattom police station, TV visuals showed him exiting the station along with his son and other BJP leaders including Surendran. He was, thereafter, shifted to the Ernakulam AR camp where he is awaiting arrival of a police team from Thiruvananthapuram, a senior official said. George has been granted interim protection from arrest by the Kerala High Court in the case lodged at Palarivattom police station.