The metropolitan court of Ahmedabad on Tuesday acquitted the international working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Pravin Togadia, and 39 others in a case of attempt to murder that was filed more than 20 years ago.
Togadia and 39 others were charged of attempt to murder in the infamous 'dhoti episode' that happened at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium in 1996.
At a BJP programme held at the Stadium, supporters of Shankersinh Vaghela, who was then with the BJP, were attacked and the dhoti of senior minister Atmaram Patel was pulled down, allegedly in a bid to teach Vaghela's supporters a lesson.
Vaghela had rebelled against the then chief minister Keshubhai Patel and taken 48 BJP MLAs to Khajuraho. Patel had to step down and in a compromise formula, Suresh Mehta was made the chief minister.
The metropolitan court accepted the state government's stand that it wanted to withdraw the case.
Earlier, the metropolitan court had rejected the state government's plea of withdrawing the case against which the state government filed a revision appeal in the Gujarat High Court. The Gujarat High Court in turn sent the application back to the metropolitan court.
The case was pending for the last 22 years.
Earlier this year, the metropolitan court had cancelled the arrest warrant against Togadia and BJP leader Babu Jamnadas Patel.
Togadia was in news earlier this year, when on January 15, he disappeared under 'mysterious' circumstances and then was found in a 'semi-conscious condition'. Later, he was admitted to a private hospital.
He then alleged that the police was acting on the instructions of political masters in New Delhi. He even demanded that call records between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and JCP of DCB J.K. Bhatt be made public.
