SC to hear plea for Vijay Rupani’s prosecution today

New Delhi: Ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, the Supreme Court will hear on Friday a writ petition filed by advocate Kaushik Chandrakantbhai Vyas for a probe by a special investigation team into the alleged role of the Gujarat chief minister Vijaybhai R. Rupani in the suicide of five members of a family in Rajkot.

In his writ petition, Mr Vyas also sought protection against the illegal activities of the chief minister, who by abusing his official position is threatening the petitioner, who has taken up the case and has scuttled the investigation launched by the police in the unfortunate suicide of Shri Bharat Mansinhbhai Nepali and his four other family members, involved in a civil land dispute.

He said the right to life and liberty as enshrined in Article 21 of Constitution is being abrogated not only arbitrarily but also illegally at the behest of the Chief Minister. The State machineries acting at his behest are acting in wholly highhanded and arbitrary manner, and thus he was constrained the move the apex court directly.  

He said there has been a complete denial of access to Justice to him as when he approached some of the lawyers in the Gujarat high court refused to accept the brief and advised him to move this court. He alleged that though the name of Shri Vijay Rupani was clearly mentioned in the dying declaration, his role was never investigated and instead of probing the role of Mr. Rupani, the investigating agency has left no stone unturned to shield him.

He sought investigation by an independent investigating agency into the suicide dated 03.04.2013 committed by Bharatbhai Mansinhbhai Vishwa-karma (Nepali) and his four family members.

Due to the involvement of Shri Vijay Rupani who happens to be the present chief minister of Gujarat and a powerful leader of Bhartiya Janata Party, Rajkot Police has made every attempt to scuttle the investigation in the matter and did not take the pain to even record the statement of the relevant witnesses.

Hence he prayed for a direction for a probe by an independent investigating agency into the death of Mahendrabhai Mansinh Vishwakarma (Nepali) as out of seven members only Madhura and Gauriben survived. He said Police apparently recorded the dying declaration of all the 5 deceased and out of them Girishbhai named two local corporator. Here it is pertinent to point out that after hearing about this incident some local citizens recorded the statement of Girishbhai on camera wherein he has clearly stated the name of Vijay Rupani and some other BJP Politician and has stated that due to the pressure being exerted by these people, they had no option but to commit suicide and aforesaid people are liable for their suicide.

Hence he prayed for a direction to constitute a SIT to probe into the whole issue and a direction to the appropriate authority to provide security for the safety of the life and liberty of Petitioner and his family members against any kind of threat and victimization.