The state government on Tuesday sought more time from the Gujarat High Court to file reply in the petition of Congress leader Hardik Patel seeking a suspension of the two-years sentence awarded to him in a rioting case registered against him during the Patidar quota stir in 2015. Patel wants the sentence to be suspended so that he can contest the Lok Sabha election. Counsel for the state government argued that Hardik is a habitual offender with several FIRs registered against him in various police stations. The public prosecutor, thereafter, requested more time from the court to submit more documents against the Patidar leader. Hardik's lawyer Rafik Lokhandwala, however, opposed the state's request and argued before the court that the government was wasting time. However, the single-judge bench of Justice AG Uraizee allowed the state's request and granted time till March 26 to furnish the reply. Notably, Patel had moved the high court on March 8 seeking a suspension of the stay in the 2015 case. He was convicted in the case in July 2018 by a Visnagar Court in Mehsana district, which found him guilty for rioting in the Visnagar MLA's office. Since he has been convicted for two-years, he cannot contest the election pursuant to the Supreme Court order which bars candidates facing conviction from contesting the polls. Through the petition, Hardik has submitted that he wants to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, but the provisions of The Representation of the People Act prevents a person convicted in a criminal case from contesting elections. He had also argued that all FIRs against him were politically motivated. He also contended that he was fighting for a social cause and the cases against him were out of political rivalry. The petitioner also stated that before he took up the reservation agitation, no criminal case was registered against him.

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