Gujarat HC rejects AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava’s anticipatory bail

In a setback to Aam Aadmi Party’s Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava, the Gujarat High Court Monday rejected his anticipatory bail plea. Vasava is facing charges of threatening public servants under the Arms Act and has an arrest warrant issued against him.

Senior advocate Anshin Desai, representing Vasava, before the court of Justice J C Doshi, submitted that the allegations made in the FIR are along the lines of “my word against their word”. He added that while provisions under the Arms Act have been invoked against Vasava, there has been no recovery of cartridge or a revolver or a licence pertaining to it.

Submitting that he is being targeted as he is a sitting MLA of a rival party, Desai further said that the allegation of Vasava purportedly slapping a forest official too cannot be proved. Desai further assured the court that if granted anticipatory bail, he will immediately join the investigation.

The prosecution, meanwhile, pointed out that Vasava has past criminal antecedents and that a lower court has already issued an arrest warrant against him.

Vasava’s whereabouts remain unknown since November 2 when the FIR was lodged. He has been booked after he allegedly threatened forest department officials and fired one round in the air with a weapon at his residence at Dediapada in Narmada district on October 30.

Apart from charging him under sections of the Indian Penal Code for rioting, extortion and assault and threatening a public servant in discharge of his duty, he has also been booked under Section 25 (1) of the Arms Act.

The FIR alleges that Vasava and his family members abused five forest officials and assaulted one of them, who later filed a complaint with the police.

The prosecution further submitted that the investigator is apprehending that evidence is being deliberately disappeared to save Vasava from the allegations in the FIR.