Kantilal Amrutiya

Kanabhai S. Amrutiya ( pronunciation  officially known as Kantilal S. Amrutiya ( pronunciation  born 8 March 1962 is a current MLA from Morbi constituency in Gujarat, india for its 13th legislative assembly^[2] He is known by the name "Kanabhai" among the people of Morbi and surroundings. He has worked in agriculture and industry. Kanabhai S Amrutiya has been elected as M.L.A. for the fifth time continuously. ^[3]

Parliamentary career

Member,
(1) Ninth Gujarat Legislative Assembly, 1995-1997,
(2) Tenth Gujarat Legislative Assembly, 1998-2002,
(3) Eleventh Gujarat Legislative Assembly, 2002-2007,
(4) Twelfth Gujarat Legislative Assembly, 2007-2012,
(5) Thirteen Gujarat Legislative Assembly, 2012-

Activities

• Ex- President, Jetpar Group Service Cooperative Society Ltd.
• President, Morbi Taluka Panchayat.
• Trustee,
  (1) Amubhai Aghara Memorial Trust,
  (2) Morbi Panjara Pol
• Leader of the Morbi Kadva Patel Samaj and Associated with the activity Like Mass Marriages in the community and Trustee in Various Trusts.

Personal life

Kanabhai was born on 8 March 1962 to a middle-class Patel community family in Jetpar in Morbi district of Gujarat State, India. During the Flood Due to Failure of Machhu Dam in the end of seventies, even as a young boy, he volunteered to serve the victims in Rehabilation. As a young man, he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a student organisation and was involved in the anti-corruption Nav Nirman Movement. After working as a full-time member for the organisation, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. As a teenager Kanabhai used to help in agriculture work with his family.He completed his schooling from V C Technical Highschool at Morbi.

Criminal record

Sitting BJP MLA from Morbi Kantilal Amrutiya earned a reprieve on Thursday when the Gujarat High Court acquitted him of murder charges.^[4]

Another local BJP leader in Morbi Agechaniya Gangaram Tapu, who died in Vadodara Central Jail on January 11 this year, was also acquitted in the case. The court refused to accept Amrutiya's statement recorded under section 164 of the criminal procedure code.

Amrutiya and six others were slapped life imprisonment after being convicted by the Gondal sessions court in 2004 in case of conspiring and killing former president of Morbi municipality, Praveen Raveshia Raveshia was stabbed to death in a broad daylight on September 16, 1999 by four persons. The court conviction came on the basis of statements of two witnesses, Jayesh Vashram and Abdul alias Anis Snaghi, which were recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC before a judicial magistrate.

Ten eye witnesses and many of the 170 witnesses turned hostile during trial in the lower court at Gondal.

The division bench comprising Justice AM Kapadia and Justice H N Devani refused to accept the statements recorded under section 164 of the CrPC, as the witnesses had later turned hostile before the trial court.

However, the court dismissed appeals of four others - Ramesh Koli, Magan Koli, Narottam Koli and Praveen alias Dalo, who were convicted for stabbing Raveshia.

Advocates S V Raju and Himanshu Patel argued that statement under section 164 only be used as corroborative evidence and not the main evidence. The deceased Raveshia had enmity with several other people who also shared a motive to hatch a conspiracy to kill him and hence Amrutiya cannot be convicted only in the basis of the statements recorded, they argued

Early activism and politics

Kanabhai was a Swayam Sevak in the RSS during his early years of Social Life. He took up the challenging task of energising the party cadres at local level in right earnest. In Association with Co-workers and Local Industrialist, Kanabhai set about creating a strong cadre base of Bharatiya Janta Party in Morbi District, Saurashtra and Kutch . In the initial period, He Started as a Member of Nagarpalika of Morbi and Taluka Panchayat, and his Maternal Uncle Amubhai Aghara was Leading at Constituency Level.

The party cadres started gaining political mileage and formed a good rappot.

In 1995, Kanabhai taken up the command of Party cadre at Morbi and elected as M.L.A. for the first time. Since then till now (As on 1.1.2013) he is serving the constituency of Morbi as M.L.A continuously. In the Gujarat State Election in December 2012, Kanabhai was Elected 5th time.

Tenure as M.L.A of Morbi

In 1995, Kanabhai was first time elected as MLA and was a part of Government of Gujarat. During the period of 1995-1998 there was a dramatic situation of Bharatiya Janta Party itself in Gujarat, Until Shri Narendra Modi taken the Charge of the Party. There were certain issues of Leadership when, three Chief Ministers were changed in a short period.Shankersinh Vaghela rebelled and left BJP, formed his new party, then he joined Congress. Keshubhai Patel taken the charge as Chief Minister, preceded to Dilip Parikh, but the internal issues of party were at top.

In spite of indulging in Cast-ism and Group-ism Politics Kanabhai keep continued his work of social service and development of Morbi.

Kanabhai S Amrutiya receiving 2nd best M.L.A. Award out of 182 in Gujarat

^[5] In 2012 Kanabhai was Awarded with the 2nd Best M.L.A. award among 182 M.L.A. of Gujarat by Shining India Info Pvt Ltd, during a survey project of "EkMulakat".

References