Gujarat HC refuses to stay Parliamentarian's conviction

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Monday rejected Amreli BJP Lok Sabha member Naranbhai Kachhadia's plea against his conviction by a sessions court, but allowed him relief from immediate imprisonment in a case where he and his supporters were allegedly involved in an attack on a government doctor.

Kachhadia had challenged in the high court last week's order by the Amreli district sessions court sentencing him to three years imprisonment for voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant doing his duty, and using force or violence through unlawful assembly.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs.35,000 in the case of assaulting a doctor at a government hospital in January 2013.

The parliamentarian and his supporters are accused of beating up Bhimjibhai Dabhi, a medical officer at the Amreli civil hospital, for allegedly refusing to attend to the injured son of district BJP women's chief Madhuben Joshi.

A case was registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code, which the sessions court had upheld.

Monday's high court order may lead to disqualification of the MP and also affect his prospects for standing in a repoll as, according to legal sources, the law stipulates that any conviction of three or more years makes one ineligible to be a parliamentarian or even fight in polls.