Hardik Patel has been granted bail in two cases of sedition filed by the Gujarat government, but must leave the state for six months if he wants to be freed from jail, the High Court said today.

Patel is also in jail for another case of vandalizing a legislator's office. If he manages to get bail on Monday in that case, he will finally be free after nine months in prison.

Patel, 22, was arrested after he led a big revolt of the powerful Patidar community against the ruling BJP government in Gujarat.

Patel said the Patidars must be entitled to reserved government jobs and seats in colleges. It should be noted here that though the Patidar community was traditionally rich, it flourished on diamond trading and farming, sectors whose returns have greatly diminished in recent years.

Hardik Patel's arrest led to large-scale arson and violence by his supporters in some of Gujarat's biggest towns. Patel has assured the court that after getting released, he will continue his agitation peacefully.

The Gujarat government, on its part, has said it will offer 10% of government jobs for economically weak sections, a move that is unlikely to be accepted by the High Court, and has been rejected as not good enough by the Patels.