HC grants bail to AAP’s Chaitar Vasava, bars him from entering Dediapada taluka for a year

The bail was granted on a surety of Rs 10,000. The restriction includes Chaitar’s home in Bogaj village. His close aides told The Indian Express that he is likely to move to Rajpipla, the district head town, to continue constituency work remotely. Dediapada is one of the two talukas under his Assembly constituency.

The HC turned down his counsel’s plea to allow participation in constituency meetings with an undertaking of “best behaviour”. Justice Mengdey orally remarked, “Look at your conduct and the style of your (politics)… Similar undertaking was given in an earlier offence.”

Chaitar has been lodged in Vadodara Central Jail since his arrest following the July 5 incident, in which BJP leader and Dediapada taluka panchayat president Sanjay Vasava alleged that Chaitar abused Sagbara panchayat president Champa Vasava and then hurled his phone and a glass at Sanjay Vasava when he intervened.

In his submission, defence counsel Zubin Bharda argued that the incident was a “minor scuffle” over a “list of members”, allegedly initially described as a “mutual conflict” in police statements. He argued that the complainant sought treatment only on July 8, that Chaitar himself went to the police station, and that the phone allegedly hurled was recovered “without damage”, while CCTV footage was “not found” by police.

The prosecution countered that the incident “cannot be denied”, stressing that the chargesheet was filed within 60 days. It urged that any bail be granted with conditions.

This was Chaitar’s fresh bail plea after withdrawing an earlier one before the chargesheet was filed. Earlier this month, the Narmada sessions court had granted him three-day temporary bail to attend the monsoon Assembly session, under police escort. The HC later modified the condition, accepting Chaitar’s plea that he could not afford the cost of escort, with an undertaking to stay in Gandhinagar and refrain from media or public gatherings.