Gujarat: BJP MLA, 23 others get bail in gambling case

VADODARA: A local court on Sunday granted bail to 24 persons including BJP MLA Kesarisinh Solanki from Matar constituency of Anand district in connection with the gambling case registered against them in Panchmahal.
Police said one of the accused, Harshad Patel of Ahmedabad, has been sent to remand for two days by the court.
“Except Patel, all other accused have been granted bail in the gambling case. Patel, who had booked the rooms in the resort, was found in possession of nine liquor bottles, so a separate case under the Prohibition Act was registered against him. He is in police remand for two days,” said D N Chudasama, local crime branch (LCB) police inspector, Panchamahals.
The police had on Friday arrested Solanki and 24 others after they were found gambling at a resort near Shivrajpur village. The cops had received a tip-off following which they raided the resort and found the accused gambling in five different rooms. The group included seven women who were called to work as dealers on the gambling tables.
People involved in the gambling included those from Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara and Amreli. Patel used to hold trips to Goa for gambling as there are casinos there. But with the casinos not working due to Covid-19 pandemic, he organized a gambling party in this resort.
The MLA had denied any involvement in gambling and said that he had merely stopped at the resort when he was on visit to temple town Pavagadh.
Cash amounting to Rs 3.89lakh, 25 mobile phones, one laptop and eight cars were seized during the raid.
Solanki (43) had won on a BJP ticket for the first time in a byelection in 2014 after the Matar seat fell vacant as Devusinh Chauhan.