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Ahmedabad court dismisses 29-year-old “dhoti pulling” case against AK Patel, ending a saga from Gujarat’s BJP factional feud involving Keshubhai Patel and Shankarsinh Vaghela
Both the complainant Atmaram Patel and co-accused Mangaldas Patel died during the pendency of the trial. (Shutterstock)
Nearly three decades after a dramatic incident during a public rally in Gujarat, a sessions court in Ahmedabad has dismissed a criminal case against former Union Minister and BJP leader AK Patel. The case, popularly remembered as the “dhoti pulling” episode, had been pending for 29 years before the courts.
The incident dates back to 1996, a period when the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat was deeply divided between two powerful camps, then Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and Shankarsinh Vaghela, who had staged a rebellion against the party leadership. It was during this phase of political turmoil that Atmaram Patel, a cabinet minister close to Keshubhai, alleged he had been humiliated and attacked in public by Vaghela’s supporters. His dhoti was allegedly pulled during a rally, triggering a political and legal controversy.
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According to TOI, the case had been registered at Naranpura police station under Section 307 of the IPC (attempt to murder) after Atmaram Patel accused AK Patel and BJP leader Mangaldas Patel, both aligned with Shankarsinh Vaghela, of assaulting and attempting to strip him during the rally. The clash reportedly took place just moments after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who would later become Prime Minister, had finished addressing the gathering.
The case dragged on for decades before fading into legal limbo. Both the complainant Atmaram Patel and co-accused Mangaldas Patel died during the pendency of the trial. Public Prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt eventually filed an application under Section 321 of the CrPC, seeking withdrawal of the case against AK Patel, now 95.
Court’s Ruling
Hearing the plea, Additional Sessions Judge HG Pandya ruled in favour of withdrawal. “The case involves an internal political party dispute that occurred 28 years ago, and the victim, Atmarambhai Maganbhai Patel, has passed away,” the judge observed in the order, as quoted by TOI. “The public prosecutor’s request to withdraw the case appears to be made with bona fide intentions, and sufficient consideration has been given to withdrawing the prosecution. Therefore, considering the records and the nature of the offense, it is appropriate to grant permission to withdraw the prosecution under Section 321 of CrPC in the interest of justice,” the court further said.
Earlier Dismissal of Related Cases
This was not the only legal fallout of the BJP’s turbulent 1990s factional wars. On January 30, 2018, a metropolitan court reportedly dismissed a related criminal case against 41 BJP workers and leaders, including VHP’s Pravin Togadia and BJP MLA Babu Jamna Patel, who were also booked in connection with the same period of unrest.
The “dhoti pulling” incident, often cited as one of the most dramatic illustrations of the Vaghela–Keshubhai rivalry, has lingered in Gujarat’s political memory for nearly three decades. With Thursday’s order, the court has brought the long-running case to a close, marking the end of a chapter that once exposed the sharp divisions within the BJP during its rise to power in the state.
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