Ahmedabad, August 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Gujarat High Court on Monday refused to suspend the seven-year prison sentence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava in a 2023 assault and extortion case involving forest department officials, leaving him in custody at Vadodara Central Jail.
Justice Vimal K Vyas rejected Vasava’s plea seeking suspension of his sentence and release on bail. The court observed that the conduct attributed to an elected representative was prima facie not befitting the public office he held.
The court said that, as an MLA, Vasava should have directed aggrieved individuals towards lawful remedies rather than allegedly intimidating or coercing government employees.
The High Court also took note of the allegation that Vasava had arranged and paid compensation to people who had encroached on forest land and undertaken unauthorised cultivation. It observed that such conduct raised questions about the propriety expected of a person holding elected office.
The court further considered the prosecution’s contention that Vasava had allegedly become involved in further offences while already on bail in another case, despite a condition requiring him not to misuse the liberty granted to him.
The High Court said suspending the sentence in such circumstances could create a perception that people holding positions of power were beyond the reach of the law. It stressed that judicial discretion must protect public confidence in the justice system and the rule of law.
The case relates to an incident following the removal of unauthorised crops by forest authorities on October 30, 2023, after registration of a forest offence. According to the prosecution, forest officials were subsequently called to Vasava’s residence, where a forester was allegedly abused, slapped and threatened. A firearm was also allegedly fired in the air to create fear.
The prosecution further alleged that the officials were coerced into paying Rs 60,000 the following day. An FIR was registered on November 2, 2023.
During the trial, the prosecution relied on witness statements, documentary evidence, call records and bank statements. On June 23, an Additional Sessions Court in Rajpipla sentenced Vasava, his wife Shakuntalaben, his personal assistant and six others to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment.
The High Court has since granted relief to Shakuntalaben and some of the other convicts. Despite his conviction and seven-year sentence, Vasava has not yet been disqualified as a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
The case has also received attention from AAP’s national leadership. On August 18, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited Vadodara Central Jail and met Vasava during their two-day Gujarat visit.
Kejriwal and Mann had previously met Vasava and his wife at Rajpipla sub-jail in January 2024 after their arrests in the forest officials case. Kejriwal had then publicly backed Vasava and alleged that he was arrested for raising issues concerning tribal farmers.
The latest High Court order leaves Vasava in custody as his legal challenge against the conviction and sentence continues.
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