A lifer, who was convicted for murdering a lawmaker, managed to get remission in just 24 hours in violation of the Supreme Court and government guidelines.

This serious allegation was the crux of a petition, seeking a CBI probe, filed in the Gujarat High Court, which has now issued notices to the Union home ministry, the state home department and the inspector general of prisons. The court has asked the authorities to respond by the third week of this month.

Petitioner MR Gupta has also sought an inquiry into various facilities allegedly provided to Aniruddhsinh Jadeja during his stay at Junagadh jail. He said Jadeja was allowed to visit Rajkot every day under the guise of treatment to help him attend political rallies for nearly two months during the 2017 assembly elections.

Gupta has alleged that there was no reason for the jail's medical officer to refer Jadeja to the Rajkot Civil Hospital for treatment of heart and neurological ailments when the facilities were available at Junagadh. Jadeja's son applied for remission on January 29, 2018, and it was granted the same day, said Gupta.

In 1988, Jadeja fired an unlicensed gun point-blank at Popat Sorathiya, a Congress MLA from Gondal, during the Independence Day celebrations at a school. He was arrested from the spot and booked under the Indian Penal Code and Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, commonly known as TADA. However, the trial court, as well as the HC, acquitted Jadeja, prompting the state to move the Supreme Court. Turn to P4

The apex court in July 1997 convicted Jadeja for murder and under TADA for possession of an unauthorised firearm. The SC had then remarked that it was not inflicting the death penalty on Jadeja only on the grounds of lapse of time.

Despite the verdict, Jadeja remained absconding for three years during which he committed several other crimes. Ultimately, the government had to form a special investigation team to track him down. He surrendered in April 2000. Due to the nuisance created by Jadeja, the state in October 2000 was compelled to pass an order that he would not be moved out from the Ahmedabad Central Jail.

According to petitioner Gupta, Jadeja was transferred to the Junagadh District Jail for reasons best known to the authorities despite the fact that the said jail was meant to house convicts sentenced for up to two years. Gupta said there are other cases filed against Jadeja in the HC as well.

One of the cases has been filed by AG Khatariya, who had contested the assembly elections. Khatariya has moved court against the free movement of Jadeja in Rajkot during November-December 2017 in the name of medical treatment. While the court had sought a report from the state in this regard, it ordered a judicial inquiry after finding several irregularities in the report.

GRAVE CHARGES

• As per petitioner, Jadeja was sent to Rajkot from Junagadh for medical treatment for 2 months in 2017 
• However, the murder convict attended several political rallies during the state elections