AAP to challenge sedition charge against its MLA

Sangrur: AAP will challenge the sedition charge levelled against its Delhi MLA Naresh Yadav, who was granted bail by a Sangrur court on Monday in the Quran desecration case of Malerkotla. Gobinder Mittal, counsel for Yadav, told TOI that the prosecution had no evidence to impose sedition (Section 124-A of the IPC) charges under which a person faced life imprisonment in case of conviction.
He said other sections of the chargesheet entailed an imprisonment for two to seven years, if proved.Mittal said AAP had devised a strategy to get the sedition charge deleted on the next hearing of the case on October 1. "We will plead to the additional sessions judge to discharge the MLA, who was charge-sheeted under the stringent law," he said.
He said that in case their prayer was not accepted, they had the option of approaching the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Mittal also said that AAP will not contest allegations against others except its MLA. Police investigations had shown that main accused Vijay Kumar had earlier committed a similar act in Ghaziabad city of Uttar Pradesh near Delhi but it went unnoticed. He was reported to be a supporter of a right wing Hindu organization.
Yadav had alleged that the sedition charge was levelled at the behest of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. He alleged the idea was to defame AAP as it was getting good response from the people of Punjab.
He had claimed that he became friends with Vijay as both of them attended an English speaking course in Delhi in the same institute. He further stated both had saved each other's cellphone numbers in their handsets at that time only.
The police had traced the calls and Yadav was indicted roped in the case of Quran desecration which occurred in Malerkotla on June 24.