1. Hardik Patel Moves Guj HC to Stay His Conviction
On Friday, 8 March, Patidar community leader Hardik Patel moved the Gujarat High Court to stay his conviction in a 2015 rioting case. The plea seeking a stay on his conviction by a lower court would come up for hearing in the coming days.
Hardik has been convicted in a case of rioting and was sentenced to two years of imprisonment, which bars him from contesting an election. His move came days after his announcement to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Gujarat.
The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), of which Hardik is the convener, had announced that he would join the Congress on March 12. Since he still stands convicted in the case, he cannot contest the election as per the SC order. Unless the high court stays his conviction, he is unable to contest the polls.
(Source: PTI)
2. Hasmukh Adhia Appointed Chancellor of Central University of Gujarat
Former Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia was appointed Chancellor of Central University of Gujarat on Friday, 8 March, a week after the government nominated him chairman of state-owned Bank of Baroda.
Adhia, who retired 30 November last year, succeeds Yoginder K Alagh. He has been appointed for a term of five years. Gujarat Central University was set up though an Act of Parliament only in 2009. SA Bari is its current vice chancellor.
Interestingly, right before his retirement, Union minister Arun Jaitley had written in a blog that while the government was keen to employ Adhia in other capacity, he wasn’t interested.
“He (Adhia) had informed me earlier this year that he would not work for a single day after the 30th of November 2018. His time thereafter belongs to his favourite passion and of course his son,” Jaitley had written in his blog.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Court Stays Bhaga Barad’s Conviction, Congress Wants Him Back as MLA
A week after former Congress MLA Bhaga Barad was convicted and sentenced to two years and nine months jail in a case of illegal mining, a sessions court in Gir Somnath district stayed the order, and also suspended his sentence.
Barad was disqualified as MLA by Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi on 5 March in view of the jail sentence.
After the former MLA from Talala seat challenged his conviction in the district and sessions court in Veraval town of Gir Somnath, principal district judge MM Babi stayed his conviction, said the Congress leader’s lawyer Rajesh Buch.
The judge also allowed Barad’s plea, seeking suspension of the sentence of two years and nine months awarded by the judicial magistrate of Sutrapada taluka court.
(Source: DNA)
4. Gujarat: After Asha Patel, Cong MLA Jawahar Chavda and Parshottam Sabariya Quit; Party Strength Down to 72
Hours after senior Congress leader Jawahar Chavda resigned as MLA on Friday, 8 March and switched sides to the BJP, another MLA Parshottam Sabariya tendered his resignation to the assembly speaker, bringing down the party strength in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly to 72. Sabariya is the fourth Congress MLA to tender resignation since July 2018.
“After a lot of churning, I have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to be in a ruling party to serve people better. And therefore, I have changed my home,” Chavda said before tendering his resignation.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. 78 Cases, One Death: Swine Flu on a Decline in Gujarat
Seventy-eight swine flu cases were reported in the state on Friday, 8 March, with Surat city, accounting for the highest 21 cases, and two patients succumbing to the H1N1 virus.The state health department said that 74 cases were reported in the state on Thursday, 7 March, while the number was 87 a day earlier.
State's health commissioner Jayanti Ravi said that cases were on the decline in the state. "Earlier, 500 cases were coming to light in a week, which went up to 700. Now, the cases have come down to 600, which shows that the number of cases are reducing," said Ravi.
Ahmedabad city, which has reported more than 1,100 swine flu cases this year, reported ten new cases today. This was the lowest number of cases in the city in more than a month.
(Source: DNA)
6. Gujarat: Did Starvation Kill the Roving Tiger?
Did the sole male tiger that was spotted in Mahisagar but was later found dead under mysterious condition die of starvation?
Those in the know said that starvation could be a possibility. "From Feb 16 onwards upto Feb 26, the day it was found dead the officials did not see any kill," said an official in the know.
"The department had after the death came to light checked for any loss of cattle in the villages surrounding the forest area but found nothing. The carcass of any wild animals were also not found leading to the possibility that it could have died of starvation," said the official.
(Source: DNA)
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