Police move to arrest PC George in hate speech case

Former legislator P.C. George faces arrest for hate speech after High Court rejects anticipatory bail plea.

A day after the High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea, the police are moving to arrest Bharatiya Janata Party leader P.C. George in connection with a hate speech case.

Officials said a team from the Erattupetta police reached Mr. George’s residence in the morning and served a notice directing him to appear before them by 2 p.m. on Saturday (February 22, 2025). The former legislator, however, was not at home, and a family member received the notice on his behalf.

The case against Mr. George follows a complaint filed by the Muslim Youth League, alleging that his remarks during a television debate were inflammatory and could incite religious hatred. He has been charged under Section 196(1)(a) and Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act.

Mr. George had initially sought anticipatory bail from a sessions court in Kottayam, which was denied on February 6. He then moved the High Court, but his plea was also rejected.

This is not the first time the former legislator has found himself at the center of hate speech controversy. In April 2022, he was booked for hate speech following remarks made during the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelanam. Later that year, the Palarivattom police registered another case against him for a communally sensitive speech delivered at Vennala, Kochi.