Gujarat HC Grants Bail to AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava’s Wife in Assault Case

AHMEDABAD : The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday granted bail to five convicts, including Shakuntala Vasava, wife of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava, in the 2023 case involving the alleged assault, intimidation and extortion of Forest Department officials. The relief comes weeks after a Narmada court sentenced nine accused, including the MLA and his wife, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment.

The High Court granted bail to Shakuntala Vasava, Ramesh Vasava, Mariam Vasava, Baliram Vasava and Mograben Vasava while hearing their appeals against the conviction. The court observed that they were not the principal accused in the incident and that there was no evidence showing they had physically assaulted the complainant.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place in 2023 after a dispute over alleged encroachment on forest land. Villagers had reportedly cultivated cotton on vacant forest land, which was later cleared by Forest Department officials. The villagers approached MLA Chaitar Vasava, demanding compensation for the destroyed crop.

During the hearing, the defence argued that a meeting between the MLA and forest officials had resolved the dispute and that compensation had been agreed upon. However, a police complaint was later registered at the instance of senior forest authorities.

The prosecution alleged that Chaitar Vasava summoned a Forest Department officer to his residence, demanded ₹60,000 as compensation, threatened the officials, abused them and even fired a revolver into the air to intimidate them. It was further alleged that the officials were forced to withdraw money from an ATM and hand it over to a farmer.

On June 23, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Narmada convicted all nine accused under multiple provisions of the IPC and the Arms Act. Each was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and fined ₹25,000. The appeals filed by the remaining convicts, including MLA Chaitar Vasava, are yet to be decided.