VYARA (Surat district), July 5: After a gruelling court battle for seven years, Gajraben Chaudhary, the estranged wife of former chief minister Amar Singh Chaudhary, has withdrawn the case against her husband under increasing family pressure.The case was withdrawn from a court here on June 15 after Amar Singh attended the marriage of his two sons early last month. Family sources claim he had conveyed Gajraben through relatives that he would attend the marriage if she dropped the court proceedings. The sons, Pragnesh and Tejas, along with Gajraben's sisters and others reportedly pressurised her to withdraw the case, convincing her the futility of a court battle which would never restore her lost pride. Perceiving that Amarsinh may finally lose the case, the family explained to her that her victory would tarnish his political career beyond redemption. Gajraben, presently a district panchayat member, and her advocate Chandrakant Khaire said later that had she not withdrawn the case, Amar Singh could well have been convicted. Her family sources also sought to give the impression that Amar Singh had sent feelers to her. He had deserted Gajraben for Nisha Gamit (now Chaudhary) in 1991, because he apprehended conviction.
She reflects:`` I had lost my peace of mind. My younger sons Pragnesh and Tajesh were so disturbed that they could not complete their engineering studies. My sons do not have engineering degree because of Amar Singh's second marriage. Even my eldest son is not doing well in his business. Everybody in my family has been disturbed. We have paid a heavy price''.
``The trauma that I experienced for seven years is too long a period to forget.'', Gajraben tells Express Newsline. She says she withdrew the case because Pragnesh and Tajesh persuaded her to do so to ensure Amar Singh attends their marriage.
``People say we have patched up, and yes, officially we have. He too has withdrawn his charges,'' says she. ``Amar Singh came and went back to stay with Nisha Chaudhary. My status has not changed. I am condemned to live alone'', bewails Gajraben, unable to hide bitterness. That he had come for the first time at his home in seven years was obviously no solace to Gajraben. They married in 1964, but she had no inkling when he met Nisha Chaudhary and when they decided to marry. ``I was in the dark. Till July 12, 1991, 24 hours before he secretly tied the knot with Nishaben, he did not tell me anything about his affair. I got to know after the marriage, '' she recalls.
She moved the court on September 30, 1991, challenging the second marriage. As the case dragged on, Amar Singh was accused of dishonouring summons and inordinately delaying the proceedings. As for Amar Singh, who was the first tribal chief minister elected from Vyara, he lost election in his home constituency and later changed electoral base to Khedbrahma in North Gujarat. He had been coming to Vyara only to appear in the court or meet his few close friends. Now, he is expected to visit his house and open a new chapter. ``Yes, he phoned me once after going to Gandhinagar'', Gajraben recalls.
