In a significant development, the Gujarat state government has decided to withdraw 14 cases including sedition cases filed against the leaders of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). These cases were registered at various police stations in Ahmedabad, Surat, Mehsana, and Gandhinagar during the Patidar reservation agitation in 2015.
PAAS leaders Hardik Patel, Alpesh Kathiriya, Chirag Patel, Dinesh Bambhaniya, and several others spearheaded the movement, demanding reservation for the socially and economically backward sections of the upper caste Patidar community. The agitation witnessed massive protests across Gujarat, leading to violent clashes with law enforcement agencies.
During this movement, the state government had filed approximately 438 cases against Patidar agitators, including 14 sedition cases against key PAAS leaders. As part of a compromise formula worked out between PAAS leaders and the state government, more than 200 cases had already been dropped earlier. Now, the decision to withdraw all sedition charges brings a major relief to the PAAS leadership.
A Patidar leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that these sedition cases were strategically used as a weapon to control PAAS leaders. He further alleged that the cases were used to pressurize Hardik Patel into quitting the Congress party and joining the BJP.
Among those affected, Hardik Patel faced two sedition cases&mdash;one in Surat and the other in Ahmedabad. The Surat case was filed by the local police, and in a significant setback for Hardik, the Gujarat High Court had earlier rejected his plea to quash the case. Back in 2015, the High Court upheld the charges against him, citing alleged evidence that he incited people to kill policemen during the violent Patidar agitation.
In January 2016, the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) filed a 2,700-page charge sheet against Hardik Patel, terming the entire Patidar agitation as illegal. The charge sheet accused Hardik and five other associates of orchestrating the agitation with the knowledge that the Patidar community could not legally or socially be included in the OBC category. It further alleged that their primary aim was to destabilize the democratically elected Gujarat government. The DCB also charged them with criminal conspiracy and sedition, claiming that the agitation resulted in damages worth Rs. 40 crore and injuries to 203 police personnel. During the violent clashes, a police constable named Dilip Rathva lost his life in Surat.
In September 2017, Hardik Patel approached an Ahmedabad court, seeking to be discharged from the sedition charges. He filed an application in the court of Judge S.H. Oza, arguing that there was no evidence against him and that the case lacked merit. However, the legal battle continued until now, with the state government finally deciding to drop all sedition cases against PAAS leaders.
The 2015 Patidar agitation had brought Gujarat to a standstill, causing widespread unrest. Violent clashes erupted, prompting the deployment of the Indian Army to restore order. Nine people lost their lives, and over 5,000 paramilitary personnel were stationed in different cities to control the situation. Then 22-year-old Hardik Patel made several inflammatory remarks at a rally, which eventually turned violent.
The withdrawal of these cases marks the end of a prolonged legal and political battle for PAAS leaders. With this decision, the state government has signaled a closure to one of the most contentious episodes in Gujarat's recent political history.

Huge gathering in support PAAS movement (File photo)

A major relief for PAAS leaders as Gujarat govt withdraws all sedition cases from Patidar agitation

Gujarat Govt Drops 14 Cases including Sedition cases Against PAAS Leaders

A major relief for PAAS leaders as Gujarat govt withdraws all sedition cases from Patidar agitation

February 7, 2025 | 10:20 IST