Porbandar, 17 November 2014

Porbandar Additional District Court today acquitted Gujarat Cabinet Minister Babubhai Bokhiria and others in alleged Rs. 54.19 crore mine theft case.

Assistant Manager of Saurashtra Chemical Company, Umesh Bhavsar had lodged a complaint against Babu Bokhiria, Bhima Dula Odedara, Bharat Odedara and Laxman Bhima Odedra in Bagvadar police station for committing theft of limestone worth of Rs 54.19 crore from mines belonging to Saurashtra Chemicals Limited on October 5, 2006 when Bokhiria was not minister. According to the complaint, Bokhiria and three other men occupied the mines and dug up limestone which was subsequently sold to industries.

Babubhai Bokhiria later became Water resources(except Kalpsar), Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cow protection Minister in the BJP government in Gujarat. Bokhiria was only cabinet minister from Saurashtra region in that cabinet. Bokhiria defeated Gujarat Congress President Arjun Modhwadia in assembly polls in 2012 with huge margin of votes.

He was sentenced to three years of imprisonment(section 379 and 447) along with others by the Chief Judicial Magistrate First Class in Porbandar in June 2013. The court had imposed a fine of Rs five thousand each on the four. However he was given conditional bail for seven days to file appeal.

In July 2013, Bokhiria got a stay from the Gujarat High Court and directed him to move the district court in Porbandar to appeal against the lower court’s verdict.