Narmada: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava and eight others, including his wife Shakuntala Vasava, were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by a sessions court in Rajpipla on Tuesday in connection with a 2023 case involving assault on forest department officials, extortion, and offences under the Arms Act.
Additional Sessions Judge A.V. Hirpara pronounced the sentence after convicting the nine accused earlier in the day.
The case relates to an incident reported on the night of October 30, 2023, in the Dediapada area of Gujarat’s Narmada district.
According to the prosecution, the dispute began after forest department officials removed crops allegedly grown on government forest land despite restrictions on agricultural activities in the area. The action was carried out in accordance with administrative directives against alleged encroachments, leading to resentment among some villagers.
The prosecution alleged that five forest officials were later called to Vasava’s residence in Dediapada, where they were threatened and abused during a confrontation. One official was allegedly assaulted, while demands were made for compensation over the destroyed crops.
Investigators also alleged that Vasava fired a shot into the air during the incident.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Dediapada police station in November 2023 under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to rioting, extortion, criminal intimidation, and obstructing public servants from performing their duties, along with charges under the Arms Act.
Apart from Vasava and his wife, those convicted included his aide and several villagers named in the FIR.
While some of the accused were arrested soon after the complaint was filed, Vasava remained untraceable for several weeks before surrendering in December 2023. He was later granted bail and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Bharuch as the AAP candidate.
The sentencing is a major development for the AAP in Gujarat, where Vasava has emerged as one of the party’s prominent tribal leaders. Representing the Dediapada constituency in the Gujarat Assembly, he rose to prominence after winning the seat in the 2022 Assembly elections, helping the party expand its presence in the tribal belt of South Gujarat.
Known for raising issues related to tribal land and forest rights, Vasava has been a key figure in the party’s outreach among tribal communities.
The case had remained under trial for more than two years.
In May this year, the Gujarat High Court rejected Vasava’s plea seeking permission to examine additional defence witnesses, observing that the application appeared to be an attempt to delay the proceedings and noting that similar requests had already been rejected by lower courts and the Supreme Court.
With the sentencing now announced, the conviction could have wider political implications for the opposition party in Gujarat, especially in tribal-dominated regions where Vasava has built a strong support base.
With IANS inputs