The Gujarat High Court on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail application of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Dediapada Chaitar Vasava. He has been accused of threatening and assaulting forest officers over encroachment of forest land.
Rejecting his bail plea, a bench of Justice JC Doshi observed that the MLA did not have any authority to call forest department officials to his home and run a parallel court. The court also observed that the MLA has breached the condition of probation granted to him. He should have asked the encroachers to approach the police.
The MLA is accused of calling two forest officials at his home and threatening them in a matter in which standing crop was to be removed. The crop was cultivated on an encroached land in his constituency.
Vasava also threatened forest officials and fired a bullet from his pistol in the presence of the alleged encroachers. The incident happened on November 1 and an FIR was registered after two days against Vasava, his wife Shakuntala, and his secretary. Vasava’s wife was arrested in the case and her bail application is pending in the HC. Vasava has been on the run since then and police have issued a warrant against him.
He filed a bail application before the HC after the lower court rejected his plea. Opposing the plea, the government lawyer said Vasava has been facing 12 cases and cops have also invoked PASA against him in the past. The lawyer pointed out that he has in the past breached the condition of probation granted to him in a criminal case by the local court.
