A Gujarat session court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail application of Naranbhai Chudasama, father of BJP MP Rajesh Chudasama, in connection to an abetment of suicide case.
The court of sessions judge PG Gokani dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of 62-year-old Naranbhai stating that the police investigation in the case had just commenced and granting relief at this point would not be suitable, especially for a crime of a serious nature.
In May, an FIR was filed against the Chudasamas after Dr Atul Chag, a renowned MD physician in the town, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his residence on February 12, 2023.
Under sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 506-2 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, an FIR was lodged against the MP of Junagadh Lok Sabha constituency and his father by the police. Although the MP has not made any plea, his father Naranbhai filed an anticipatory bail application a few days ago on different grounds.
The FIR, registered three months after the doctor’s death, mentioned that the Chudasamas had a long-standing relationship with him for two decades and had borrowed almost Rs 1.75 crore from him since 2008 in instalments, having gained his trust. According to the allegations, they provided Dr Chag with a few cheques.
But however, Dr Chag repeatedly requested the Chudasamas to return the borrowed money. However, when they didn’t respond, he deposited one of their cheques worth Rs 90 lakh in a bank, which was dishonoured. The FIR further mentioned that a few days before the doctor’s suicide, the duo verbally abused him and threatened to kill his only son Hitarth after he demanded the money back. This threat, coupled with the fear of losing his money, deeply disturbed the doctor, who took the extreme step, according to the FIR.
Naranbhai stated in his plea for anticipatory bail that there is currently no solid evidence against them, and the police registered an FIR abruptly only because his son holds a position as an MP.
The petitioner further contended that the police investigation had already demonstrated that there was no direct correlation between the cheque bouncing and the suicide, as the two events happened a year apart. Referring to a police inquiry, he asserted that Dr Chag had lost about Rs 2.97 crore in the stock market and that it was plausible that he committed suicide to that shock.
In the anticipatory bail plea, Naranbhai mentioned that two accountants of Dr Chag stated in their statements to the police that they had no knowledge of any transaction between the doctor and the Chudasama duo. He further claimed that the wife of the deceased doctor also denied having any knowledge of such transactions.
However, the public prosecutor, C N Kakkad, opposed the plea, stating that granting relief at this stage to the applicant might impede the ongoing investigation by influencing witnesses.
