Hyderabad: Facing multiple cases of “hate speech”, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi was on Wednesday remanded to 14 days of judicial custody the magistrate in Nirmal town, 200 km from Hyderabad.

Akbaruddin was reportedly questioned and produced before the magistrate at 5:30 am, after which he was sent to judicial custody. The Magistrate also asked the police to produce the MLA before the court later today at 10:30 am.

Owaisi has been taken to the Nirmal town police station. Meanwhile, his petition is expected to be listed at the Andhra Pradesh High Court today.

Owaisi was arrested yesterday, a day after he returned from London and was admitted to a hospital for a medical check up, before being taken into custody.

Later in the night, Owaisi was reportedly questioned with regard to the speech delivered by him at a public meeting in the town on Dec 22. He was accompanied by his younger brother Burhanuddin Owaisi, editor of Urdu daily ‘Etemaad’ and his lawyer.

The younger Owaisi’s alleged remarks against the majority community sparked widespread protests by the BJP and its frontal groups across the state.

Owaisi faces charges of waging or attempting to wage war against the state, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, and for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.

Nirmal has been turned into a fortress with police forces deployed across the town to prevent any untoward incident. Some leaders of MIM and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were arrested as a precautionary measure.

Prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more people were imposed in Nirmal and several other towns in the district and also in Nizamabad, where the MIM leader is facing another case.

Additional security forces have also been deployed in Hyderabad as a precautionary measure.

The 42-year-old heads the MIM in the Andhra Pradesh assembly. Representing Chandrayangutta constituency in the Old City of Hyderabad for a third time, he is the younger brother of MIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi.