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No respite in sight for Babu Bokhiria

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The limestone theft against Babu Bokhiria is not the only charge the senior minister is facing. Another petition seeking to bring serious charges against him is already pending in the Gujarat high court. The Saurashtra strongman has also been charged with murder of Congress leader Mulu Modhwadia in Porbandar.

Though the local court has sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment, the latter is also facing charges of forgery of documents and procuring illegal explosive material for mining apart from other charges. Local activist Dilip Kataria filed a petition in the Gujarat HC seeking to indict Bokhiria as accused of such charges.

Local activists alleged that there is strong material evidence to impose serious charges on Bokhiria in the Rs54-crore limestone theft case.

According to them, the senior minister’s men had allegedly obtained explosive material worth Rs1.32 crore from licensed dealers in the name of other mine lease holders. They used that material to excavate limestone from mines belonging to other parties and the government.

Besides, they sold the limestone to Tata Chemicals in Mithpur and Porbandar-based cement companies ACC Cement and Birla Cement by using royalty receipts of other mine lease holders. They had also received payments in cheque from those companies. “We had put all these illegalities before the local court and sought to impose sections of forgery, tampering with documents and mine theft from government land,” said advocate V H Kanara, lawyer of Kataria.

“We have ample material to prove that the trucks, belonging to partnership firms of Bokhiria and his family members, had supplied the material to the companies and received payment through cheques. However, the court rejected our plea as it was filed late and the limestone theft trial had already begun,” the lawyer stated.

“We have filed a petition in the high court to impose such sections, according to which he can be convicted up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Bokhiria has been joined as party respondent in the petition and he even raised objections,” he pointed out.

“The limestone theft worth Rs250 crore allegedly happened looking at the procurement of a huge quantity of explosive material for mining. The Bokhirias’ men also allegedly stole from limestone mines belonging to the government,” added Kanara.

The senior minister, who dominates the mining business in Porbandar, has also been accused of murdering Congress leader Mulu Modhwadia. A local court had indicted him as an accused in the case and he filed a petition against it in the Supreme Court.

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