Ahmedabad:
In a snub to the Gujarat government, Governor Kamla Beniwal has granted sanction to prosecute Minister of State for Fisheries Purshottam Solanki for his alleged role in the Rs 400 crore fishing contracts scam.
The Modi Cabinet had earlier refused to sanction the minister's prosecution. The matter then went to the High Court which had ruled earlier this month that the Governor will take the final decision.
The court had directed the state government to forward all the papers, based on which they have taken a decision not to prosecute Solanki, to the Governor.
And the court had also rejected the contempt plea against Chief Minister Narendra Modi for refusing to sanction Mr Solanki's prosecution.
The High Court had in March asked Mr Modi and his Cabinet to consult with the Governor before taking a call. A petitioner, Ishaq Maradia, said that the chief minister and the Cabinet ignored this while deciding not to allow the minister's prosecution.
Mr Maradia says that Mr Solanki granted fishing contracts in 2009 without any tendering process, and this cost the government Rs 400 crore.