Amit Shah permitted to enter Gujarat by SC

New Delhi, 27 September 2012

Former Gujarat MoS for Home Amit Shah has been permitted to enter Gujarat by the Supreme Court of India today. The case against Shah would be transferred to Maharashtra. More details soon. Gujarat BJP spokesperson Vijay Rupani has welcomed this decision of Supreme Court. Supreme Court rejected CBI’s plea to reject Shah’s bail and upheld the Gujarat High Court order. Shah represents Ahmedabad’s Sarkhej seat presently. BJP’s national spokesperson Prakash Javdekar welcomed the verdict and said the BJP has maintained from day one that Shah is innocent. At the end of the trial this fact would be endorsed by the court itself.

SC in its verdict said:

“It is further made clear that the grant of bail to Amitbhai Shah in the Sohrabuddin case shall have no effect in the Prajapati case and in that case whether Amitbhai Shah is to be kept in judicial custody or granted bail would be decided by the court on the basis of the materials on record of that case and without taking into consideration the grant of bail to him in the Sohrabuddin case,” a bench comprising justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai said.

While imposing strict conditions on Shah, the bench said “the apprehension expressed by the CBI that Shah may misuse the freedom and try to subvert the prosecution cannot be lightly brushed aside.”

It directed the former minister to give an undertaking in writing to the trial court that he would not commit any breach of the conditions of the bail bond and would not try to influence any witnesses or tamper with the prosecution evidence in any manner and report to the CBI office every alternate Saturday at 11.00 AM.

The bench warned that in case Shah commits any breach of the conditions of the bail bond or the undertaking given to the court, it will be open to the CBI to move the trial court for cancellation of his bail.

The bench said, “In that case, if the allegations pertain to the period posterior to this order, the trial court shall examine the matter carefully and take an independent decision without being influenced by this order declining to cancel the bail granted to him.”

The court said the grant of bail to Shah in Sohrabuddin case shall be no consideration for grant of bail to the other accused in that case and the prayer for bail by the other accused shall be considered on its own merits.