Ahmedabad: Time was when no visit to the revered Somnath temple by any BJP top gun would be complete without the presence of three-term legislator and 15th Lok Sabha MP Dinu Bogha Solanki. The big names were all missing today and the man stood forlorn as the Special CBI court sentenced him and his six accomplices to life imprisonment on the charge of killing RTI activist Amit Jethva outside the Gujarat High Court on July 20 2010. The infamous seven, Dinu, his nephew Pratap alias Shiva Solanki, police constable Bahadursinh Vadher, sharp shooter Shailesh Pandya, Sanjay Chauhan and Udaji Thakore and Pachan Desai were held guilty of murder, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and violations of the Arms Act.
Judge K.M. Dave ordered legal proceedings against all the 105 witnesses who had turned hostile and imposed a total penalty of Rs 59,25,000 on the convicts with directions that Rs 11 lakh from this amount be given to Jethva’s family. The court ruled that Rs 5 lakh should be kept as fixed deposit in a nationalized bank for the widow of the slain activist and Rs 3 lakh each for his two sons. With this sentence, life came a full circle for a journalist father and a small dedicated band which fought indomitable odds to secure justice for the murdered RTI activist.
“My son can now finally rest in peace for he has got justice after a very long struggle,” said Bhikhubhai Jethva adding the conviction is a victory of the judiciary and an exemplary proof that a judicial system exists which is re-assuring for commoners.” It is for the first time in the history of Gujarat that a former MP has been held guilty of murder. Dinu Solanki was thrice elected legislator of the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha beginning 1998 and moved onto the Lok Sabha in 2009 following his election from Junagadh. He was a sitting MP when the murder took place as well as the time of his arrest.
- R.K.MISRA
