The Sessions Court in Kottayam has stayed the arrest of BJP leader and former Poonjar legislator PC George until January 18 in connection with a controversial hate speech case.

The court will consider George's anticipatory bail plea on Saturday. The complaint, alleging hate speech during a television debate, was filed by the Youth League.

The prosecution opposed granting bail, arguing that George has been involved in similar cases previously. They contended that this history warranted stricter scrutiny in the current case.

The court has instructed the prosecution to submit the written content of the alleged hate speech and provide the video recording as evidence. George's defence argued that he had served as a public representative for an extended period and that the case did not merit the imposition of non-bailable charges.

The Youth League, the petitioners in the case, alleged that the police were colluding with George to facilitate his anticipatory bail.