AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava, wife among nine sentenced to seven years in assault, extortion case

A sessions court on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) sentenced Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and tribal leader Chaitar Vasava, his wife Shakuntala Vasava, and seven others to seven years of imprisonment in connection with a November 2023 case involving assault on forest officials, and extortion, as alleged.

Additional Sessions Judge A.V. Hirpara convicted the accused for their role in an incident that took place on the night of October 30, 2023, in Dediapada town.

Forest officials had removed crops cultivated illegally on government land, triggering a dispute, according to the prosecution. The officials were later called to Chaitar Vasava’s residence, where a heated altercation ensued. During the confrontation, Chaitar Vasava and the other accused allegedly threatened the officials, while Chaitar Vasava is also accused of firing a round into the air.

Chaitar Vasava, who represents the Dediapada (Scheduled Tribe) Assembly constituency, and the co-accused were booked in November 2023 under provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to rioting, extortion, and assault on public servants, along with relevant Sections of the Arms Act.

Reacting to the verdict, AAP Gujarat president Isudan Gadhvi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had politically targeted Chaitar Vasava because of his activism on tribal issues. Mr. Gadhvi claimed that Chaitar Vasava had intervened in a dispute involving forest officials and tribal farmers after standing crops were allegedly cut on forest land, and had merely facilitated a settlement between the parties.

He further alleged that BJP leaders pressured officials into filing a police complaint and pursued the case to politically weaken the legislator. According to Mr. Gadhvi, Chaitar Vasava had refused inducements to join the BJP and had become a prominent voice of the tribal community.

Describing the conviction as politically motivated, Mr. Gadhvi said the party would challenge the verdict before a higher court and expressed confidence that Chaitar Vasava would eventually secure relief through the judicial process.