Cases against Priyanka Gandhi to be heard on May 19

The two cases filed against Priyanka Gandhi for her 'neech rajniti' barb at Narendra Modi were taken up on Thursday and posted for hearing on May 19.

In the case filed by Bihar BJP General Secretary Surajnandan Mehta, his lawyer Shambhu Prasad told the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (Patna) Rama Kant Yadav that his client was outside Patna because of a pre-scheduled election programme and prayed for a future date. The CJM accepted the petition and fixed May 19 for hearing it.

Mehta had alleged that the remarks would promote enmity between groups and lead to breach of peace. The case was filed under IPC sections 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups), 153(B) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 171 (G) (false statement in connection with an election), 500 (defamation) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of IPC.

In the case filed at a court in Darbhanga, CJM Shailendra Mohan Pandey posted the matter for hearing on May 19.

The head of state BJP Fishermen community cell Arjun Sahni had filed the case against Priyanka levelling similar charges.