Varun gets clean chit

BJP MP Varun Gandhi was cleared by a Pilibhit court of making hate speeches during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and is likely to get a promotion when party chief Rajnath Singh announces his new team later this month.
Varun’s mother Maneka Gandhi represents neighbouring Aonla in Parliament.
During the 2009 campaign, two FIRs were lodged against Varun for making inflammatory speeches against a community. A third FIR was lodged after the MP’s supporters attacked policemen when he was sent to judicial custody.
Last week, Varun was exonerated in one of the two cases. On Tuesday, the court dropped the other FIR lodged against him at Barkhera police station saying there was not enough evidence.
The first FIR against Varun was lodged on March 17, 2009, at the Barkhera police station for delivering an inflammatory speech on March 8, 2009. The second, on March 18, 2009, again for allegedly making an inflammatory speech with communal overtones, was lodged at Dal Chand police station while the third was lodged on March 28, 2009, after his supporters attacked the police station.
In all the instances, Varun was booked under various sections of the IPC and the Representation of People’s Act for promoting enmity among people and supporting acts prejudicial against communal harmony.
The BJP leader had written to the SP government in September last year requesting it to withdraw the “politically motivated” case against him. Following his request, the government had asked the Pilibhit administration to find out whether it was possible to drop the charges.