This story is from September 23, 2021

Living in times without rule of law: Gujarat high court

The Gujarat high court on Wednesday expressed its displeasure over the law-and-order situation with the police picking up a taluka panchayat member ahead of election. It commented that nobody is safe in these times without rule of law.
Living in times without rule of law: Gujarat high court
Picture used for representational purpose only
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Wednesday expressed its displeasure over the law-and-order situation with the police picking up a taluka panchayat member ahead of election. It commented that nobody is safe in these times without rule of law.
The high court was hearing a petition filed by one Vasantbhai Joshi, a member of Satlasana taluka panchayat in Mehsana district.
On the day of elections for panchayat president and vice-president posts, Joshi, who is a Congress member, was arrested 15 minutes before polling was to commence. He was detained for an alleged offence committed in 2012. The FIR was lodged a day ahead of the election in 2021. Joshi could not vote in the election, which was fiercely contested with eight Congress members, seven BJP members and one independent.
On the way to the polling booth, Joshi was detained and deprived of participation in the election, the bench of Justice J B Pardiwala in the division bench told the lawyers appearing in the case, “There is something like rule of law. We are now living in times without rule of law, where you are not safe, I am not safe, sister (pointing at Justice V D Nanavati, is not safe. Nobody is safe. So this (matter) has to be taken carefully.”
After his detention, Joshi raised the issue before the police authorities and the State Election Commission (SEC), but to no effect. On this, the court said, “There appears a conspiracy here in which everybody is involved. The police is main conspirator.”
The judges also remarked that when a taluka panchayat member was not allowed to vote, the election should have been cancelled and held again. “But in the last election, he was picked up for an eight-year-old offence. If elections are held again, he might be picked up again for some offence of 2015,” the judges said.
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