Gujarat HC quashes PASA charge against serial PIL filer sarpanch

Ahmedabad

The Gujarat High Court today set aside Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) charge slapped against a sarpanch in a Kutch village on a plea alleging that he had been charged as he was taking on the Adani Group.

Justice Z K Syed of Gujarat High Court quashed the PASA charge against the sarpanch Gajerndrasinh Jadeja of Navinal village in Mundra taluka of Kutch district.

The high court held that the police or the district administration cannot slap PASA merely on basis of an FIR and two applications by five unnamed people.

“The Kutch district administration and the police had slapped PASA against Jadeja on April 8 and arrested him on the basis of an FIR and two application filed by five unknown people,” said the petition filed by his uncle Ranubha Jadeja.

Jadeja was booked under the charges of extortion for allegedly demanding money from people. The police had later invoked PASA against him after getting permission from the district administration, the petition added.

Jadeja alleged in the plea that he was booked under PASA and detained because he has been fighting against Adani Group in the high court.

Jadeja mentioned in the plea that he had filed about three public interest litigations (PILs) in the High Court against the Adani Group.

PTI