Lucknow, July 17 - To mark his protest against the arrest of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, former Indian cricket captain and Congress MP Azharuddin will court arrest in his constituency Moradabad Friday.

'Azharuddin will lead a protest rally and court arrest after the Friday namaz in Moradabad,' said a Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) spokesperson.

Joshi was arrested Wednesday night in Ghaziabad for allegedly having made derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Mayawati at a public meeting in Moradabad. She was charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Just about the same time, her house in Lucknow was attacked and torched by a mob.

On Thursday, the chief judicial magistrate in Moradabad ordered Joshi to be sent to 14 days judicial custody. Her request for bail will be made before the Moradabad additional district judge Friday.

Hundreds of Congress workers gathered around the Moradabad jail to express solidarity with the UPCC chief.

At a meeting in Moradabad Wednesday, Joshi had mocked at the state director general of police flying down to Dalit rape victims in recent days and spending huge amounts to distribute compensation of Rs.25,000 to Rs.75,000 to each of them.

She reportedly told the women that they should not only throw the compensation money back at the government's face, but if this was how the rape victims were going to get justice, 'tell her (Mayawati) we would give Rs.