After nearly two decades, justice has been served in the controversial murder case of NRI Pankaj Trivedi, who was brutally killed in 2006. On Friday, a city sessions court convicted 10 followers of the Swadhyay Parivar for the murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
Trivedi, an active member of the community, became embroiled in a dispute with the Swadhyay Parivar, a religious organisation led by Pandurang Shastri’s daughter, Dhanshree Talvalkar. According to the prosecution, Trivedi was key in securing relief funds for the organisation following the 2001 earthquake. However, a disagreement over the distribution of these funds led to several complaints against him from the group.
The prosecution argued that, driven by a desire for retribution, the members of the Swadhyay Parivar conspired to eliminate Trivedi. On June 15, 2006, Trivedi was ambushed and bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat near Ellisbridge Gymkhana in Ahmedabad.
Special prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt stated that the accused, including Chandrasinh Jadeja, Hiteshsinh Chudasama, Dakshesh Shah, Bhupatsinh Jadeja, Mansinh Vadher, Ghanshyamsinh Chudasama, Bharat Bhatt, Bharatsinh Jadeja, Chandrakant Daki and Jashubha Jadeja, were convicted of criminal conspiracy and murder.
In addition to the convictions, the court issued perjury notices to 23 witnesses who had become hostile during the trial. The court has directed them to respond to the perjury notices by March 10. These individuals, including talatis, chitnis, teachers and businessmen, had initially recorded statements under Section 164 of the CrPC but later retracted their testimony, claiming their statements were never recorded. The court described their actions as “painful” and “sad,” criticising their attempts to distort the judicial process.
The court emphasised the importance of maintaining public confidence in the justice system, warning that delays in taking action against such individuals could undermine trust in the legal system. In its ruling, the court made it clear that attempts to manipulate witnesses or present false evidence would not be tolerated.
“The court should adopt a strict stance against attempts to manipulate witnesses and pursue falsehoods to achieve favourable outcomes. It is necessary to ensure that the general publication witness justice being served and understand that despite such attempts, the justice system cannot be swayed by falsehoods. Justice is always aligned with the truth and will remain supreme.”
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