Varun withdraws bail plea from Delhi High Court

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) BJP leader Varun Gandhi against
whom FIR was lodged for making inflammatory communal speeches
during election campaign in India's northern state Uttar
Pradesh, Friday withdrew his bail plea from the Delhi High
Court.

The Counsel appearing for 29-year-old politician
submitted before the Court that Varun seeks to withdraw the
petition in view of Allahabad High Court's order dismissing
his plea for quashing criminal proceedings for making speech.

Justice Reva Khetrapal accepted his plea and allowed
him to withdraw the petition.

"Without going into maintainability issue and in the
merit of the case, the petition is dismissed as withdrawn,"
the Court said.

With this, the stay on his arrest granted by the court
on March 20 stands vacated.
The High Court had restrained the police from taking
any coercive action against him for the alleged inflammatory
communal speech till Allahabad High Court decides his plea on
quashing of FIR against him.

The Allahabad High Court had on March 25 rejected his
plea for quashing of an FIR filed against him for his alleged
anti-Muslim speeches in Pilibhit.

In his petition, 29-year-old Gandhi had challenged the
FIR filed on March 17 at Barkheda Police Station under
Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on
ground of religion) and 188 (disobedience to order duly
promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and
Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

The charges entail a maximum punishment of three years
jail term or fine or both. PTI