BJP ex-MP held guilty of killing RTI activist

AHMEDABAD: Former BJP MP from Junagadh, Dinu Bogha Solanki, and six others were convicted by a special

CBI court

in Ahmedabad on Saturday for the murder of

RTI activist

Amit Jethava. All of them were held guilty of murder, criminal conspiracy and violation of the

Arms Act

.

Jethava, from Khambha in Amreli district, was shot dead point-blank outside the Gujarat high court campus in July 2010, a month after he filed a public interest litigation alleging rampant

illegal mining

inside

Gir sanctuary

. The case, ridden with twists and turns, saw over 100 witnesses turn hostile.

Amid tight security, special judge K M Dave pronounced his judgment in-camera at the city sessions court, convicting Solanki, his nephew Pratap alias Shiva Solanki, Pachan Desai, police constable Bahadursinh Vadher, the shooter Shailesh Pandya, Udhaji Thakor and Sanjay Chauhan.

The court has posted the sentencing of the convicts for July 11. Special prosecutor Mukesh Kapadia said the court based its conviction on the test identification parade and the testimony of prime witness Rama Haja, a former aide of Solanki who fell out with him after the incident.