Fisheries scam: Gujarat HC rejects discharge plea of two former ministers

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat HC rejected petitions filed by two former fisheries ministers, Parshottam Solanki and Dileep Sanghani, seeking discharge from criminal prosecution initiated by the anti-corruption bureau in connection with the alleged Rs 400 crore fisheries scam.
Former Gujarat cabinet minister Sanghani, former minister of state Solanki and another accused, Arunkumar Sutaria, had moved the HC after a special anti-corruption court in Gandhinagar refused to discharge them on March 12, 2021.
Considering the investigator's inquiry report, the lower court had said that, prima facie, a case was established against the accused. "This court finds that the charges are not groundless," the trial court had noted while rejecting the discharge applications filed by seven accused persons.
Three of them challenged the trial court order before the HC, which had stayed criminal proceedings. Justice Hemant Prachchhak on Friday turned down the discharge requests, paving the way for the trial against the former ministers and their subordinate staffers on corruption charges. However, on request, the judge extended the stay for four weeks.
Case has seen long, hard legal battle
In this case, the complainant, Ishaq Maradia, had sought the HC's intervention to unearth alleged irregularities and cancel fishing contracts from when Solanki was fisheries minister.
Maradia had to fight a hard legal battle to get the governor's consent for criminal prosecution of the ministers.
Finally, Solanki, Sanghani and the others were accused of awarding fishing contracts for 58 reservoirs in the state to cooperative groups without any tender process. They were charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act and for offences under the Indian Penal Code.
Ever since the former ministers were charged and a special court issued summons against them, various litigations arose in the high court. In 2018, the HC had rejected their petitions for quashing of criminal prosecution and summons. The rejection of their discharge pleas had brought the accused persons to the HC again.