Kottayam: Seven-time former legislator and a top Kerala BJP leader P.C. George on Monday was sent to judicial remand for two weeks in the hate speech case.
He was booked for allegedly making hate speech against a particular community during a TV channel debate.
Incidentally, on February 21, the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea and it was certain that he would be arrested.
On Monday, when the police came looking for him, around 11 a.m. he appeared before the local court at Erattupettah. First, the court sent him to police custody till 6 p.m. but later he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
After George was questioned, he was taken to the government hospital for the mandatory check up and then he was brought to the court.
George (73) has a long political career and joined different political outfits at different times before forming his own political party which he later merged with the BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He is now a senior leader of the BJP in Kerala. In this case, on February 17, the High Court pointed out that George has been repeatedly flouting the orders of the Magistrate Court as well as of the High Court and rejected his plea on February 21st.
The High Court had previously granted him bail on the condition that he would refrain from making provocative statements.
The allegation against George was that he made remarks against the Muslim community, saying “They are terrorists and communalists”.
He further stated that there is no “Muslim living in India who is not a terrorist.”
It is also alleged that he made comments to promote hatred against the Muslim community and advised that they must migrate to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, State BJP president K. Surendran said the Pinarayi Vijayan government is haunting a senior leader like George, even when he made an apology for his remark, while several Muslim leaders who have made grave remarks against Hindu and Christian faith are not been booked.
(IANS)
