Lucknow: In a huge legal boost for Varun Gandhi, the UP state advisory panel has ruled that the National Security Act (NSA) against him was inappropriate and should be revoked.
The board said it was not convinced by the report of the Pilibhit district magistrate.
The Mayawati government, which had imposed the stringent act on 29th March over his hate speeches in Pilibhit, says it will challenge the decision.
The BJP has welcomed the advisory panel's decision. The party says it vindicates their stand. "NSA against Varun was harsh and unjustified."
Varun Gandhi has reacted to the development saying his faith in the judiciary has been completely vindicated.
"I have all along expressed full faith in the judiciary and that has been completely vindicated today. I am grateful that this conspiracy by the State and Centre for petty political gain has been exposed and deleted. For the 20 days that I have spent in illegal detention will have to be answered 20 times over by the Authorities to the people of India. It is a historic moment, not just for me but for Indian democracy," Varun said in a statement.
Senior Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi, however, said that while the law will take its own course. A person spreading communal hatred could not be tolerated, he added.
PTI adds: The panel said it did not find "plausible and convincing" grounds for the NSA being invoked against 29-year-old Varun, now on parole after a nearly three-week detention, nor was it satisfied by the explanation given by the Pilibhit District Magistrate.
"NSA invoked against Varun Gandhi has been held invalid by the Board," UP Home Secretary Javed Ahmad said. Varun is the BJP candidate from Pilibhit going to polls on May 13.
The case of Varun Gandhi was still under the consideration of the Supreme Court and therefore a decision has been taken by the state government to file an appeal before the Supreme Court, an official press release said.
But senior Supreme Court lawyer Ram Jethmalani said the order was binding on the state government.
Varun was let off by a three-member Advisory board of Allahabad High Court headed by senior judge of the Lucknow bench Justice Pradeep Kant which went into the maintainability of Varun's detention by the UP government under the NSA imposed on March 29.