Praful Khoda Patel

What links here Related changes Page information Get shortened URL
Created by 223.225.59.127
Last edited January 3, 2026
Praful Khoda Patel
1st Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Assumed office
26 January 2020
Preceded byPosition established
16th Administrator of Daman and Diu
In office
29 August 2016 – 26 January 2020
Preceded byVikram Dev Dutt
Succeeded byPosition abolished
35th Administrator of Lakshadweep
Assumed office
5 December 2020
Appointed byRam Nath Kovind
Preceded byDineshwar Sharma
29th Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli
In office
30 December 2016 – 26 January 2020
Preceded byMadhup Vyas
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Member of the Legislative Assembly from Gujarat
In office
2007–2012
ConstituencyHimatnagar
MoS Home Minister of Gujarat
In office
21 August 2010 – 17 December 2012
ConstituencyHimatnagar
Personal details
NationalityIndia
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party

Praful Khoda Patel is a former Bharatiya Janata Party leader who is currently the Administrator of Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and also Administrator of Union Territory of Lakshadweep.

Patel began his political career winning the 2007 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election for the Himatnagar constituency in Gujarat for its 12th legislative assembly. Praful Patel’s father Khodabhai Ranchhodbhai Patel[1] was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader and Modi often visited him. From 21 August 2010 Patel served as MoS Home Minister of Gujarat under Chief Minister Narendra Modi. His ties with Modi helped his ministerial appointment, vacated by Amit Shah in jail for the Sohrabuddin Sheikh extrajudicial killing case. Prior to Amit Shah's arrest Narendra Modi inducted four ministers in cabinet reshuffle and Praful Patel received eight of Amit Shah's ten portfolios.

Praful Khoda Patel then lost the 2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election cutting short his political career in Gujarat.

After Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, Modi appointed Patel as the Administrator of Daman and Diu in 2016 followed shortly after by Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.[2]

Praful Patel was the first politically appointed administrator in the history of the union territories. Such positions had previously only been held by Indian Administrative Service officers. [3]

On 26 January 2020, he became the inaugural Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu of the newly formed union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu after the merger of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.[4][5] Consequent to the passing of the Administrator of Lakshadweep, Dineshwar Sharma, Praful Patel assumed additional charge as Administrator of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep from 5 December 2020.[6]

2019 Election Officer Coercion

On 10 April 2019 Election Commission of India issued a notice to Praful K Patel stating that his actions violated provisions under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The commission reprimanded Patel for having issued a "coercive" request to Kannan Gopinathan, the collector for Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and withdraw any notices issued to Gopinathan or any other election officials "during the election period." Election Commission Officials state that Praful Patel called election officers to issue them direct instructions. Crucial interference from Patel came after Gopinath sent a notice to Mohanbhai Sanjibhai Delkar for actions that violated the model code. Praful Patel retaliated by issuing a notice to Gopinath which Election Commission Officials described as an act of political vengeance.[7] Since then, Kannan Gopinathan has been replaced with Sandeep Kumar Singh as collector.

2019 Daman Indigenous Land Clearing Protests

Valuable seafront land along the 700 metre stretch from Moti Daman Lighthouse to Jampore beach is claimed to be owned by adivasi fishing communities who have lived there for generations as well as by NRI Damanese predominantly living in Leicester, UK. In December 2018, local residents received official looking documents purportedly instructed by Praful Patel ordering the confiscation of their land and demolition of homes to make way for development.[8] In January 2019 Praful Patel hosted a hastily arranged meeting with British MP Keith Vaz but managed to allay his fears about the case.[9] However, by November the bulldozing went ahead and the Daman protests began.

On 3 November 2019, Daman Collector Rakesh Minhas issued a Section 144 order banning peaceful assembly of four or more persons, slogan-shouting and the use of loudspeakers across the entire district and ordered the conversion of two High Schools into 'temporary jails'.[10] 70 protesters were held in these 'temporary jails' and another 8 arrests were made.[11] Few of the adivasi fisherfolk were rehoused whilst most languished traumatised and homeless on the streets near the rubble of their razed homes.[12] As of March 2021 the site is now billionaire Binod Chaudhary of CG Corp Global's The Fern Seaside Luxurious Tent Resort offering tourist accommodation for $80US/£57GBP/6000 rupees for night in a tent.[13]

2021 suicide of Mohan Delkar

Tribal rights advocate and Lok Sabha MP Mohanbhai Sanjibhai Delkar hanged himself at Hotel Sea Green in Mumbai on 22 February 2021 leaving a 15 page suicide note.[14] The note held politicians and administrative officials responsible for "injustice", "insult" and "bias" meted out to him and specifically named Praful Patel.[15]

On 5 July 2020, Delkar had posted a video on Twitter threatening to resign as Lok Sabha MP because the local administration was "hounding him". Then on 19 September in parliament he raised the issue of "misbehaviour" by local officials "as part of a conspiracy" claiming that on Liberation Day (2 August), he was "denied the right to address the people of the region as an MP".[16]

First Information Report (FIR) under Section 306 (abetment of suicide), 389 (Putting person in fear of accusation of offence, in order to commit extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and sections of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was filed against Praful Patel, Daman Collector Sandeep Kumar Singh, former police superintendent Sharad Darade, and few politicians including BJP leader Fatehsinh V Chauhan; who has a history of land grabbing disputes.[17] Delkar's son Abhinav has alleged that Patel threatened Delkar to pay ₹25 crore (US$3.5 million) or he would be implicated under PASA Act.[18]

References

  1. ↑ https://myneta.info/gujarat2012/candidate.php?candidate_id=1531
  2. ↑ Arnimesh, Shanker (11 March 2021). "Who is Praful Khoda Patel? Minister in CM Modi's Gujarat cabinet now booked for MP 'suicide'". The Print. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  3. ↑ Sreerag, P. S. (18 April 2019). "EC issued notice to Modi aide Praful K Patel for "coercive action" against election officers". The Caravan. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Twelfth Gujarat Legislative Assembly". Gujarat Assembly. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  5. ↑ https://twitter.com/SiddharthNews18/status/1220721273438904323/photo/1
  6. ↑ https://lakshadweep.gov.in/about-lakshadweep/profile-administrator/
  7. ↑ Sreerag, P. S. (18 April 2019). "EC issued notice to Modi aide Praful K Patel for "coercive action" against election officers". The Caravan. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Uppal, Jas (6 January 2020). "Daman – Land and Property Owned by the Fishing Communities Confiscated and Homes Demolished". Justice Upheld. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Vaz, Keith (15 January 2019). "Keith Vaz in plea to stop demolition in Daman". Asian Voice. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  10. ↑ Express, News Service (5 November 2019). "Demolition of houses: Section 144 in Daman after residents protest". Indian Express. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  11. ↑ The Wire, Staff (4 November 2019). "Daman: Section 144 Imposed, Two Government Schools Converted Into 'Temporary Jails'". The Wire. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  12. ↑ Uppal, Jas (6 January 2020). "Daman – Land and Property Owned by the Fishing Communities Confiscated and Homes Demolished". Justice Upheld. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  13. ↑ https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/hotels-/-restaurants/cg-corp-global-plans-79-fern-hotels-resorts-in-india-by-2020-end/articleshow/66793806.cms
  14. ↑ Rajput, Sagar (26 February 2021). "Mohan Delkar died due to constant harassment from local admin: Son". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  15. ↑ Singh, Rajiv (23 February 2021). "Mohan Delkar death case: Suicide note holds politicians responsible for 'injustice', 'insult' meted out to him". India TV. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  16. ↑ Express, News Service (25 February 2021). "UT top official named in MP Mohan Delkar's suicide note, will probe: Anil Deshmukh". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  17. ↑ Express, News Service (7 October 2018). "Dadra and nagar Haveli: BJP councillor held in land grabbing case - Sources said that Chauhan and his brothers, Chitu and Rakesh, are quiet powerful in Silvassa". The Indian Express. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  18. ↑ Bhardwaj, Ananya (11 March 2021). "Administrator Patel threatened MP Delkar with false case, demanded Rs 25 cr: Son of dead MP". The Print. Retrieved 11 March 2021.


Stub icon

This article about a Gujarat politician is a stub. You can help Bharatpedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Praful_Khoda_Patel&oldid=49514"
Discover more