A complaint under the provisions of Atrocity Act was lodged against Parimal Trivedi in May 2008 when he was the Gujarat University VC.
A faculty in a local GLS Arts college, Pankaj Shrimali, had filed the complaint against then VC for using "unconstitutional words" related to his caste and demanded that he be punished under the provisions of Atrocity Act.
Following a high court order, the investigation was transferred to the SC/ST cell of Ahmedabad. After the charge sheet was filed in the case earlier this year, Trivedi was arrested and immediately released on bail.
Last month, the former VC had filed a petition in the HC seeking transfer of the case against him to a different court alleging "bias" on the part of Additional Sessions Judge, who was hearing his case.
"In spite of this case being four-year-old and he (Trivedi) has shown readiness to fully cooperate, the judge has shown bias against him," Trivedi's advocate Prakash Thakkar argued.
After hearing all the parties, including original complainant Pankaj Shrimali, Justice R H Shukla today granted the demand of Trivedi to transfer the trial to another judge.
It also instructed the HC registry to place the case before Chief Justice on administration side, who in turn will take the final decision on whom to assign the case.
