Legal trouble mounted for minister Parshottam Solanki after a special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Gandhinagar issued a non-bailable warrant against him in connection to the Rs 400 crore fisheries scam on Saturday.
Solanki is MLA from Bhavnagar Rural seat, and is minister of state for fisheries in the state government.
ACB Court Judge RM Vora issued the NBW against Solanki after he failed to respond to summons and a bailable warrant issued against him by the same court last month.
"Parshottam Solanki failed to appear before the court again today. This is why we sought a non-bailable warrant against him, which the court accepted," Anil Rushi, complainant Ishak Maradia's lawyer, said.
The court fixed April 20 as the next date for hearing the case. Solanki's presence is required in court as charges are to be framed in the fisheries scam, the lawyer said further.
Former minister Dileep Sanghani is also an accused in the case. His lawyer was present in court today, and moved an exemption application on his behalf.
Earlier, on December 21, the Gujarat High Court had asked Solanki to appear before the trial court within a fortnight. The order came after it refused to quash criminal proceedings initiated against Solanki and Sanghani by the ACB court in connection to the scam.
The alleged fisheries scam dates back to 2008 when Solanki, who was minister of state for fisheries at the time, granted fishing contracts of 58 ponds without the mandatory tendering process. The complainant alleged that this had resulted in a loss of Rs 400 crore to the government exchequer.
Sanghani was the cabinet minister of fisheries at the time. Maradia had moved the high court in 2012 after the state government refused sanction to prosecute Solanki.
