The Gujarat High Court on Monday granted jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava a seven-day temporary bail to attend the state assembly’s three-day monsoon session beginning September 9.
Vasava is lodged in the Vadodara Central Jail after being sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, along with eight others, by a sessions court in Narmada district in a criminal assault and extortion case.
Justice Vimal K Vyas on Monday partly allowed his plea, granting him bail for seven days from the date of his release, with conditions that he shall not leave the state capital Gandhinagar, nor address media persons or any gathering.
The state government opposed the plea, arguing that despite being given an opportunity long back, he did not submit any question for the legislative assembly, and therefore the plea should not be considered by the court.
If the high court at all considers his plea, it should not be for more than three days and with appropriate conditions, including that he should not address the media, not participate in political gatherings, and not leave Gandhinagar, the government said.
Vasava's lawyer sought his temporary bail for 15 days.
The court remarked that if Vasava was invited by the state to attend the session and is admittedly not disqualified as an MLA, then how can the state oppose his plea.
On June 23, a sessions court at Rajpipla in Narmada district sentenced Vasava, his wife, PA and six others to seven years' rigorous imprisonment for assaulting forest officials and extorting Rs 60,000 from them following their action against illegal cultivation on government forest land.
They were found involved in the assault, intimidation, and extortion of forest officials.
According to the prosecution, forest authorities had removed unauthorised crops after registering an offence, following which officials were summoned to Chaitar Vasava’s residence.
A round forester was allegedly abused there, slapped and threatened by the MLA, while a weapon was reportedly fired in the air to create fear. The next day, forest officials were allegedly coerced into paying Rs 60,000, the prosecution said.
(With inputs from PTI)