1. Gujarat High Court Stays Eviction of Tribals for Tourism Development Near Statue of Unity
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday, 26 July, sought a reply from the state government, revenue officials of Narmada district, and Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited (SSNL) in connection with a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the court’s direction to authorities that tribals from six villages adjoining the Statue of Unity should not be evicted for the development of tourism facilities in the area.
The six villages include Kevadia, Vaghadiya, Navagam, Limbdi, Gora, and Kothi. The reply has to be filed by 21 August.
The court, while issuing a stay in favour of the petitioners, also directed the authorities not to evict the tribal families till further orders. The direction came from the division bench of Acting Chief Justice AS Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav.
(Source: DNA)
2. 1,127 Officials Held for Taking Bribes, Highest in Ahmedabad
Months after Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani red-flagged the rampant corruption in revenue and police departments, data tabled in the state assembly shows that during the past five years, 1,127 government officials and employees were arrested for taking bribes. However, the percentage of chargesheets that have been filed has fallen during the period between the calendar year 2014 and September 2018.
Ahmedabad accounts for over 14 per cent of the arrests, as 161 government servants were caught taking bribes, data tabled in reply to an unstarred question by Congress MLA from Siddhpur, Chandanji Thakor, showed. The highest number of arrests in a single year was also reported from Ahmedabad —49 in 2015.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Custodial Death Case: Sanjiv Bhatt Challenges His Conviction
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday, 25 July, admitted the appeal filed by former IPS Sanjiv Bhatt against life imprisonment awarded by a Jamnagar court in connection with a custodial death case of 1990 when he was posted as the additional superintendent of police in the district.
The court also sought a reply from the state government by August 19 in connection with Bhatt's plea for suspension of sentence till the appeal is pending.
Sessions judge DM Vyas on 20 June had convicted the former top cop, as well as a constable Pravinsinh Zala, of murder under the Indian Penal Code and pronounced life sentence. The court had also convicted five other police personnel in the case—sub-inspectors Dipak Shah and Sailesh Pandya, and constables Pravinsinh Jadeja, Anopsinh Jethva, and Keshu Jadeja. All the five persons have been sentenced to two years in prison.
(Source: DNA)
4. Fake Video Case: Jignesh Mevani’s Statement Recorded
Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani recorded his statement in a fake video case before Valsad police on Thursday afternoon (25 July), acting on the order of Gujarat High Court.
A case of defamation had been filed against the independent MLA after he shared a video on Twitter of a teacher beating a student and attributed it wrongly to RMVM School in Valsad. He had also tagged the prime minister’s office seeking action. Mevani later deleted the tweet after some fact-checking sites pointed out that the video was not of Gujarat.
On Thursday, when police demanded Mevani’s mobile phone, he refused to hand it over, saying he would consult his lawyers first as it contained his interactions with important persons in the government.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. AICC Spokesperson Withdraws Affidavit in Ahmed Patel Case
All India Congress Committee (AICC) national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil’s appearance as witness before the Gujarat High Court on Thursday was cut short after he chose to withdraw an affidavit, presented in place of his examination-in-chief, in a case related to Congress leader Ahmed Patel’s 2017 victory in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Gohil was appearing as witness in relation to an election petition moved by BJPleader Balwant Rajput, challenging Patel’s victory. The withdrawal came after Justice Bela Trivedi came down heavily on the respondent party’s legal representatives for presenting an affidavit along with other materials, including media reports and copy of transcripts of the statements, allegedly made by the MLAs at the Eagleton Resort, Bengaluru, where the leaders were taken ahead of the election in 2017.
(Source: The Indian Express)