BJP leader Giriraj Singh gets breather till May 3

DEOGARH, JHARKHAND: A court here on Tuesday stayed the arrest of senior Bihar BJP leader Giriraj Singh till May 3 for allegedly making a hate speech during an election rally.

Deogarh District and Sessions Court Judge Pankaj Srivastav passed the order after the former minister moved a petition seeking stay on his arrest, Singh's counsel said.

In his petition, Singh said he had been served with a notice by the Election Commission on the same charges filed at three separate places and that he had already replied to it.

The first of the three FIRs against Singh was lodged with Mohanpur police station in Deogarh, which charged him with hate speech during an election meeting on April 18 where he allegedly said those who opposed BJP's Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi would have to find a place in Pakistan.

The FIR also charged him with saying those who exported beef got subsidy while those who reared cows were taxed by the central government.

Yesterday, a Bokaro district court had rejected his anticipatory bail after the court of Bokaro sub-divisional judicial magistrate on April 23 issued non-bailable arrest warrant on the same charges after Singh addressed a poll meet at a place under Harla police station in Bokaro district.

On April 25, he got anticipatory bail by Patna District and Sessions Judge Birendra Kumar on an FIR (third) on the same charge.