Gujarat’s Rajpipla Sessions Court on Tuesday sentenced Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitra Vasava, his wife and seven others to seven years in jail. This punishment has been given in a case of November 2023 on charges of attacking forest officials and extortion. According to PTI News, government lawyer Vandana Bhatt said that Additional Sessions Judge AV Hirpara also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on all of them. The accused include four women including MLA’s wife Shakuntala Vasava.
This incident happened on October 30, 2023. forest department The officials removed the cotton crop grown on illegally occupied government land, leading to a controversy. After this the officials were called to Vasava’s house in Dediapada in Narmada district to talk about the issue.
Court’s strict action on Chaitra Vasava
At his home, tribal leader Vasava, representing Dediapada (ST) assembly constituency, threatened the officials. One of them slapped and fired a pistol in the air. Police said the accused, including Vasava’s wife, collected a total of Rs 60,000 from forest officials for crop removal and Vasava later destroyed the evidence by hiding or throwing away the pistol. Vasava’s personal assistant Jitendra Vasava was accused of contacting the MLA on phone and calling him to collect extortion money.
A case was registered against the MLA, his wife and seven others under Indian Police Code (IPC) sections related to rioting, extortion and attack on government officials as well as the Arms Act. Charges were framed on August 7, 2025.
Special Public Prosecutor Amit Nair said, “A total of 17 government witnesses were examined during the trial, along with several documentary evidences, and all the witnesses supported our case. We sought a maximum sentence of 10 years.”
The attack on government officials was heavy
Arguing that an elected public representative is expected to adopt legal remedies rather than resorting to violence, and no person is above the law.” During the hearing, Nair argued that witness statements, documentary evidence, call records and bank statements proved the involvement of the accused.
He also cited other recent FIR reports in which Vasava was named for crimes like assault and public disorder and said he also shows a similar pattern of behaviour. At the end of the arguments, Vasava’s lawyers demanded to recall some witnesses of the government lawyer, but the sessions court rejected this application. The appeal against this decision was rejected by the Gujarat High Court on May 7, 2026 and by the Supreme Court on May 19.
Punishment in assault and extortion case against forest officials
The accused then filed an application seeking permission to interrogate the defense witnesses, whereas he had earlier decided not to do so. This application was also rejected by the Sessions Court and later by the High Court.
The AAP MLA was arrested on July 5, 2025, under Section 109 of the Indian Code of Criminal Procedure (BNS) on charges of attempt to murder after he allegedly attacked the taluka panchayat president during a meeting. While granting him bail last September, the High Court had put a condition that he would not come to Dediapada taluka for a year.
In April 2026, three FIRs were registered against Vasava and some other local leaders at Jhagariya GIDC police station in Bharuch district after they slapped a man who had gone to demand compensation for the victims of a factory fire, and a man in return slapped them too.
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