HC refuses to stay Kachhadia's conviction

Ahmedabad: There was nominal relief for BJP MP from Amreli, Naran Kachhadia, from Gujarat high court, as he did not receive a stay on his conviction, though the HC admitted his appeal and granted him fresh bail by suspending his three-year sentence.
This may lead to Kachhadia's disqualification from Parliament under section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act.
The amendment in the law provides for disqualification of an MP or MLA in case of conviction with sentence above two years, and in the event that the higher court did not stay the conviction. Kachhadia was awarded 3-year sentence in connection with a 2013 case of assault on a doctor at a government hospital in Amreli. Since the doctor belonged to the scheduled castes, Kachhadia was also booked and later convicted under the atrocity laws. The court in Amreli granted him seven days' time to challenge the conviction order, and Kachhadia rushed to the HC with an appeal, seeking bail as well as demanding a stay on the conviction. Justice R H Shukla refused to stay his conviction, but admitted his appeal and granted fresh bail by suspending the sentence for the time.