The Gujarat High Court has rejected a plea filed by BJP minister Parshottam Solanki and former cabinet minister Dilip Sanghani challenging criminal proceedings initiated by special ACB court in Gandhinagar on the 10-year-old Rs 400-crore fisheries scam. The court has asked both the leaders to approach the ACB court and file discharge (to exonerate from alleged offence) application and the court will decide it on merit.
“We had filed the application against process issued by the court in the alleged offence in 2015. However, the court has asked us to first approach special ACB court where the proceedings has been going on and let the court decide on the issue,” said Rajesh Ruparel, counsel for Sanghani.
It is alleged that Solanki, the then fisheries minister and currently the minister of labour and employment, had allocated contracts of fishing at the state reservoirs at throwaway rates by resorting to corruption, causing a loss of Rs 400 crore to the government exchequer. Sanghani, the cabinet minister of fisheries then, had reportedly given a statement that he approved the contracts in a bid to save Solanki. However, complainant Ishak Maradia also arraigned him as accused in HC. As per the direction by the High Court, Gandhinagar police had investigated the case. They had given a clean chit to ministers but court rejected their report and initiated criminal proceedings in 2015.
It was 10 years ago that Maradia had filed petition in HC, alleging Solanki had indulged in corruption by giving fishing contracts at throwaway rates.
Rs 400-Cr Fisheries Scam: Guj HC Rejects BJP Leaders’ Plea Against Criminal Proceedings
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