HC disposes off PIL by Congress leader against MoS Shankar Chaudhary

Ahmedabad

The Gujarat High Court today disposed of a plea demanding prosecution of state minister Shankar Chaudhary for allegedly obtaining a fake MBA degree and asked the petitioner to approach it only after exhausting other options. A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice A S Dave asked the petitioner Farsu Goklani to explore other options to pursue the case. The bench said they would entertain the petition only after the petitioner has exhausted other options.

The petition was filed last year in October by Shankarbhai Chaudhary’s political opponent and Congress leader Farsubhai Goklani in Patan district from where Shri Chaudhary has been elected.

Shri Chaudhary on micro blogging site Twitter gave his reaction and said: “I wholeheartedly thank friends, well wishers and colleagues in BJP Gujarat who stood by me. Truth alone triumphs. The division bench of Honorable Gujarat High Court has disposed off petition challenging my MBA degree. My faith in our judiciary gets stronger.”

Leader of opposition in Patan district panchayat, Goklani is serial petitioner. He had filed three petitions against political rival Shankarbhai Chaudhary in the past. He had earlier filed plea against Shankarbhai alleging wrong methodology of grant allocation from MLA fund in year 2007. He had filed another plea against Chaudhary in 2007 for misuse of PM relief fund money. In same year he had filed another plea seeking police protection against Shankarbhai Chaudhary. In the Public Interest Litigation filed in 2012, Farsubhai had alleged scam in Charanka solar plant land deal and made allegations against senior IAS officer DJ Pandian(now retired). The court had however given clean chit to Pandian.

From day one when this case was filed, Shankarbhai had expressed trust in truth and justice system and refused to give comment. He however had pointed out that the petition was Congress motivated.

– DeshGujarat