Hate speech row: Owaisi sent to 14-day judicial custody

Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi, accused of sedition and criminal conspiracy for his  "hate speech", was on Wednesday sent to jail for 14 days by an Adilabad court which rejected his petition for shifting him to a hospital even as police slapped additional charges against him.

Forty-two-year-old Owaisi, who was arrested on Tuesday evening, spent the night at the police station in Nirmal, about 200 km from Hyderabad, and was produced at 5.30 am before the magistrate who sent him in judicial remand till January 22.

The police moved an application before the court seeking seven days remand of Owaisi, leader of MIM legislature party in the legislative assembly and younger brother of party chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, on which the magistrate asked the MLA to file a counter affidavit and posted the matter for on Thursday.

Owaisi has been lodged at Adilabad district jail, about 80 km from Nirmal.

Additional Judicial First Class Magistrate Ajesh Kumar rejected two petitions filed by Owaisi's counsel urging the court to shift him to Banjara Hills hospital in Hyderabad for better treatment and also for moving him from Adilabad district jail to Chanchalguda jail in the state capital.

The magistrate dismissed both petitions as "not maintainable" and directed Adilabad jail superintendent to provide best available medical facilities to the MLA.

In its remand application, the police slapped additional charges against Owaisi under five different sections of the IPC.

The additional charges include 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 124-A (sedition), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and section 505 (statements causing public mischief).

Owaisi had earlier been booked under IPC Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the government of India) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony).

FIRs were registered against Owaisi in Adilabad and Nizamabad districts after the legislator had allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a particular community during his public speeches last month, while the Osmania University police in Hyderabad booked him subsequently following a court directive.

There was tension in Adilabad and Nizamabad districts where a bandh was called by the MIM against Owaisi's arrest. Most shops and business establishments in several localities of old city in Hyderabad, whose Chandrayangutta seat he represents in the state assembly, remained closed.

Owaisi was arrested following a series of medical tests soon after he sought four days time to appear before the police citing health reasons.