INDIA, Dec. 2 -- The Gauhati High Court has struck down the charge against Gujarat Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani under Section 354 of the IPC, ruling that continuing the case would amount to a misuse of legal process and a miscarriage of justice.

The court, however, upheld the charge under Section 352, which deals with assault or use of criminal force without grave provocation.

Section 352 carries a maximum penalty of three months' imprisonment or a fine of Rs 500, or both. In contrast, Section 354-related to assault with intent to outrage a woman's modesty-prescribes a punishment of up to five years in jail. Mevani has been facing two criminal cases filed in Assam in 2022.

The first case originated in Kokrajhar, where a local BJP leader...