Vipul Chaudhary, the former Home Minister of Gujarat and ex-Chairman of Dudhsagar Dairy, Mehsana, one of the major players in the cooperative dairy sector, detained for his alleged irregularities of around INR 500 crore, has been put on a 7-day remand by the District Sessions Court.
Vipul Chaudhary will be on remand till September 23.
Public prosecutor Vijay Barot had sought a 10-day remand. It was argued that remand was necessary for investigation of financial transactions, but the court granted only a 7-day remand to Chaudhary.
Meanwhile, his detention and now, the remand for 7-long days has caused an unrest among the party workers and his supporters.
Supporters of Chaudhary, a prominent face of Gujarat’s cooperative sector and former Home Minister during Shankersinh Vaghela’s government in 1996, staged protests outside the court complex and at several tehsil headquarters in north Gujarat.
The police had to escort the accused to the court from the back gate because of a huge gathering of Chaudhary’s supporters.
Chaudhary was held in context of an offence (C R No. 5/2022) registered at Mehsana ACB Police Station, under sections 406,409,420,465,467, 468, 471, 120(B) of IPC and sections 12, 13(1), 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act.
Vipul Chaudhary and his CA Shailesh Parikh were detained by ACB in connection with the ongoing probe concerning alleged financial misappropriation while he was the chairman of Dudhsagar Dairy, where financial misappropriation amounting to more than INR 500 crores by bogus transactions through around 25 fake companies were unearthed.
The fake companies were set up in the name of Vipul Chaudhary’s wife, son and CA.
The investigators have caught hold of various bank accounts related to these companies. Apart from the Bonus scam and fodder scam, it was revealed that Vipul Chaudhary was indulged in widespread corruption in assigning contracts to advertising agencies for publicity hoardings of Dudhsagar dairy. He was also accused of having committed financial malpractices in purchase of milk coolers for the dairy.
Over 30 leaders have resigned from the BJP in support of Chaudhary till the report was prepared.
Arbuda Sena held a massive rally in Visnagar and Vadgam area regarding the arrest of Vipul Choudhary.
Protests also took place in Deesa, along with the taluka headquarters of Sabarkantha district.
Dhanera MLA Nathabhai Patel and former MLA Joitabhai Patel along with the youth party workers of Arbuda Sena were present outside the court demanding Chaudhary’s release.
The supporters raised slogans against the government and demanded the release of Vipul Chaudhary.
Vipul Chaudhary was accused of conspiratorial action. Former minister Kirit Patel has demanded the release of Vipul Chaudhary, calling him innocent. He said that Chaudhary has been implicated in cases just before the elections.
Chaudhary, a mechanical engineer, had been actively involved in politics since his college days. Actively involved in “Khajuraho Kand” -a precursor to all resort politics -, he was a close associate of Shankersinh Vaghela, the original rebel of the cadre-based party.
In 2020, an Ahmedabad Sessions Court granted relief to Vipul Chaudhary, in an alleged bonus scam of Rs 14.8 crore, allowing him to file nomination for the election of Mehsana Dudhsagar dairy management committee elections.
Vipul Chaudhary had been sacked earlier from both Amul’s parent company GCMMF and Dudhsagar dairy over his alleged role in connection with Rs 22 crore cattle fodder scam.