Former PI V.A. Charan granted interim bail by High Court in Padra bribery case

Former Police Inspector (PI) V.A. Charan, involved in serious allegations of accepting bribes at the Padra Police Station in Vadodara district, has been granted interim conditional bail by the Gujarat High Court. After fleeing to evade arrest for the last 7 months following the registration of a case by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), he has now received legal relief. However, the court has also imposed certain strict conditions while granting this bail.

The High Court has granted interim conditional bail to the former PI until 17 November 2026. As per the court's order, Charan will have to appear before the investigating officer within the stipulated timeframe to record his official statements. Additionally, he must provide full cooperation to the ACB in all investigations related to the bribery transaction, call details, and case diary. The court clarified that if he shows any form of non-cooperation in the investigation or violates the bail conditions, his bail may be cancelled.

This entire matter is linked to a simple assault complaint registered at the Padra police station. According to the ACB report, the then PI V.A. Charan, under the pretext of mediating a settlement in this simple dispute case and not to harass the accused party, had issued a serious threat. He had demanded a bribe from the victimized party by implicitly threatening to turn the entire matter into a serious 'Love Jihad' case. Initially, an exorbitant amount was demanded, but ultimately, a bribe of ₹2 lakh was fixed.

When the complainant contacted the ACB regarding this matter, the agency set a trap. The private mediator who came on behalf of the PI to accept the bribe amount is named Sajidali. Sajidali was caught red-handed by the ACB. Upon the arrest of the mediator, former PI V.A. Charan had gone underground out of fear of being caught and had been evading police custody for a long time.

Following the investigation conducted by the ACB in this case and the arrest of the mediator, Charan has now received legal relief through this decision of the High Court, but the investigation process will continue. The court has ordered the investigating agency to cooperate in obtaining all evidence and details so that a complete investigation of this bribery transaction can be conducted.