Kandhal Jadeja, the National Congress Party’s (NCP) MLA from Kutiana in Gujarat, was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in jail by a Rajkot court on Wednesday (20 April 2022) in a judicial custody case.
The court of Rajkot Chief Judicial Magistrate SV Mansoori convicted Kandhal under section 224 of the IPC, punishing him with 18 months’ imprisonment and fined him Rs 10,000.
The court also acquitted his wife Manisha Karavadra and 11 other accused for want of evidence. Those acquitted include four police constables Suresh Sonara, Vitthal Jadav, Dilip Singh Rajput and Praveen Gohail and two doctors – Dr Popat and Dr Parmar. It was alleged that he had hatched a conspiracy to escape to Kandhal from Shivani Hospital in Rajkot in the intervening night of February 5 and February 6, 2007.
Kandhal had fled the hospital while in judicial custody for the murder of BJP councilor Keshu Odedra in 2005. Kandhal’s mother Santok Ben Jadeja, his three brothers – Karan, Bhoj and Kano – and five others were accused in the case.
After absconding for almost two years, Kandhal was finally arrested by the police from near Pune in 2009. The police had filed a charge sheet in this case in 2010. During the hearing of this case, the accused Dr Shah died, after which the trial against him was stopped.
According to the case presented by the prosecution, Dr Popat forged medical papers that helped Jadeja stay in the hospital even though he was not actually ill. Dr Popat’s lawyer Tushar Gokani said that we did cross examination with the witnesses who testified as prosecution witnesses. We proved during his interrogation that Dr Popat had given Jadeja the kind of treatment that any doctor would give to a patient in a normal condition. The court agreed with our submission and acquitted Dr. Popat.