Ahmedabad: In a new development in the sensational 2010 murder of RTI activist Amit Jethwa, the Gujarat High Court gave a reprieve and suspended the life sentence of Shiva Solanki, nephew of former BJP MP Dinu Solanki, and granted him bail pending hearing on his appeal.
Terming his conviction as prima facie erroneous, a division bench comprising Justices S H Vora and Mauna Bhatt granted bail to Shiva Solanki.
Amit Jethwa- RTI activist fighting the mining mafia
Solanki, who was one of the seven convicts sentenced to life by a special CBI court, has challenged his conviction in the high court. His uncle and former BJP MP Dinu Bogha Solanki is one of the convict in the case and is out on bail.
Amit Jethwa, who was a spirited RTI activist fighting the mining mafia in the Gir forests for the protection of lions, was shot dead in broad daylight outside the High Court premises on July 20, 2010.
However, the high court has banned Shiva Solanki from leaving Gujarat and asked him to surrender his passport, mark his presence at the police station concerned every month, and attend the hearing of his appeal in the high court.
The bench observed that prima facie his conviction seemed to be "erroneous because there is a breach of all principles settled by the Hon'ble Apex Court about the circumstantial evidence and requirement for conviction".
The court stated, "When circumstances against the applicant are taken cumulatively, we do not find any chain of evidence having been established leading to the conclusion that in all possibility, the crime was committed by the applicant."
