Overview
- Police constable Babubhai Prajapati was acquitted on February 4, 2026, with the court ruling the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
- The case began with a 1996 Anti-Corruption Bureau trap over an alleged Rs 20 bribe in Vejalpur; he was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to four years in jail plus a Rs 3,000 fine.
- His appeal, filed in 2004, remained pending in the Gujarat High Court for about 22 years before the acquittal.
- He died the next day after visiting his lawyer; counsel said he was told it was a heart attack, and reports described natural causes.
- The decades-long proceedings halted promotions and froze benefits, and his lawyer had urged immediate applications to recover service dues after the verdict.