Surat crime branch Wednesday booked president of Khedut Samaj Jayesh Patel and two others for their alleged involvement in a Rs 27.76-crore cheating case.
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Patel has been at the centre of various farmers’ protests against land acquisition for bullet train project and express highways, and was spearheading the protest against a Railway goods line in Choryasi and Olpad taluka of Surat district.
The Surat crime branch registered the cheating case after Suresh Patel, a manager with the Paal Group of Co-operative Cotton Sale Society limited (PGCCSS) at Jehangirpura in Surat, lodged a cheating complaint against Patel, the former chairman of the PGCCSS, and two others identified as Pragnesh Naik and his wife Mona Naik, both directors of Shree Sai Hasti Products Limited Company (SSHPLC).
Jayesh was the chairman of PGCCSS from 2004 to 2021. Later in August 2021, he lost the election to chairman post.
In his complaint, Suresh alleged that SSHPLC had been purchasing the paddy from PGCCSS since 2012.  Between 2016 to 2021, the firm purchased paddy and defaulted on the payments amounting to Rs. 27.76 crore.
The complaint also says that in an executive body meeting of PGCCSS, in 2020, Jayesh had guaranteed that the pending dues would be recovered from the SSHPLC, after mediation of different farmers leaders of Olpad and Surat. But till date the pending dues are yet to be cleared.
Talking to the Indian Express Khedut Samaj, Gujarat president Jayesh Patel said, “The complaint registered against me is a political vendetta by the ruling government. We have been fighting on the forefront for the benefits of the farmers on different issues …”
Crime Branch Inspector L D Vaghadia said, “We will take statements of other members of PGCCSS and try to find out Jayesh Patel’s role in the case.”