Patna, Sept 02: The Patna High Court today adjourned the hearing on the separate writ petitions filed by VHP leaders Pravin Togadia and Acharya Giriraj Kishore against their recent externment by Bihar government and asked the state government to file counter-affidavits on the matter within two weeks. Separate criminal writ petitions were filed last week on behalf of Togadia and Kishore by advocate Pramod Kumar Sinha challenging the state's decision to pack off the two from the Patna airport on August 15 and 16 and prohibiting their entry into the state in future. Petitioner's counsels Tarakant Jha and Pramod Kumar Sinha argued before the division bench of Justice S N Jha and justice B N P Singh that the state government's order of externment of the two VHP leaders was malafide and arbitarary and it violated the fundamental rights under Article 19 (right to freedom of speech and movement) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the constitution and principle of natural justice. Togadia was served with the externment notice by Patna district magistrate even before he had disembarked from the plane and was not given reasonable time to present his case. In the case of Kishore, they challenged the externment by Patna authorities saying the magistrate's action was unauthorised as he was on way to Muzaffarpur and not in the area of magistrate's jurisdiction.
Amarnath Singh appeared for the state. The matter would next come up on September 16.

Bureau Report