Hardik Patel Was Never Abducted: Gujarat Government to High Court

Ahmedabad: Challenging Hardik Patel's abduction claims, the Gujarat government today told the High Court that the Patel agitation spearhead's close aides were in constant touch with the young leader when he allegedly went missing last month.

After the state government filed its affidavit before the Gujarat High Court, division bench comprising justices MR Shah and KJ Thaker directed Mr Patel's advocate to file an affidavit by October 19 to substantiate claims made in the petition about his alleged abduction by "police-like persons".

The High Court was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by two aides of Mr Patel, when he allegedly went missing after the public meeting in Tenpur village in Bayad taluka on September 22.

"It was a sheer figment of imagination on the part of the petitioners to allege that corpus - Hardik Patel was ever abducted. In fact, he was never abducted by anybody, much less by police-like persons in plain clothes," said the affidavit filed by sub inspector YJ Rathod of Ambaliyara police station of Aravali district on behalf of the state government.

"It is not true that the captioned petition had to be filed out of fear, since none of the companions were able to contact Hardik on September 22, 2015 as alleged or otherwise. In fact, petitioners in particular and few others were in close and constant contact with Patel from September 22, 2015 afternoon till around 11 am on September 23, 2015, when he was alleged to have been released on highway somewhere near Surendranagar," said the affidavit.

"There was no question at all about the safety of Hardik as alleged or otherwise, more particularly, he himself on his own eloped, putting not only the entire administration, but also this court in a very awkward situation," it said.

All these were "deliberate and intentional acts on the part of the petitioners to create sensation at the cost of disturbing public peace and tranquility," said the affidavit.