Bharatiya Janata Party leader on Monday surrendered before a court in Kerala’s Kottayam district in a hate speech case concerning derogatory remarks he made against Muslims on January 5, The Hindu reported.

This comes after the Kerala High Court on Friday George’s petition for anticipatory bail citing his history of making communal remarks. The judge noted that the BJP leader had been implicated in an earlier case for making statements targeting Muslims in 2022.

On Monday, the police reached George’s residence in Erattupetta but found him missing. Later, George, along with party workers and his family members, arrived at the Munsiff Magistrate Court in the municipality and surrendered.

The BJP leader was on January 5 for his against Muslims during a televised debate.

The first information report was filed on the basis of a complaint by the Muslim Youth League Municipal Committee under Section 196(1)(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which relates to the “promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion”.

Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act, which relates to powers to deal with unlawful assemblies, was also invoked in the case.

On February 6, the BJP leader’s petition for anticipatory bail was denied by the Kottayam Sessions Court, The Hindu reported.

He then moved the High Court, which flagged gaps in India’s...