Student rape case: FIR against former trustee of Pavagadh temple, CA, hotelier quashed

In 2021, CA Ashok Jain and Hemant Bhatt alias Raju, who is the former secretary of the Kalika Mata temple trust of Pavagadh, were accused of rape. In May, however, the complainant – an LLB student – in her deposition before the Vadodara sessions court was said to have turned “hostile”.

She said she “had no idea what had been written in the FIR” as she could not read Gujarati, the official language of communication in the state. She denied having complained against the accused.
With Gujarat HC quashing the criminal proceedings, Bhatt – who has been in jail since September 2021 – also stands released.

The FIR in the case was registered at Gotri police station on September 19, 2021, after which the Crime Branch arrested Bhatt and co-accused Jain as well as a businessman and hotelier Kanji Mokariya for allegedly aiding Bhatt’s escape from the city. Police said that Mokariya was in constant touch with Bhatt, helping him evade arrest, and had also visited the flat where the alleged crime had occurred. After the FIR was lodged in 2021, related videos were also widely shared on social media, as per officials.