Court sentences Gandhi’s great-granddaughter in jail for 7 years

Ashish Lata Ramgobin, a great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, has been convicted in a forgery case. A Durban court in South Africa has found her guilty of fraud as well. She has been sentenced to seven years in jail.

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PTI has reported that Lata was accused of defrauding a businessman by the name of SR Maharaj, who had given her an advance payment of Rs 6.2 million for the purpose of clearing import and customs duties for a consignment. Except that the consignment was non-existent in the first place.

Reportedly, the 56-year-old woman had a share in profits in the fraud-cum-forgery incidence.

The convicted person, ironically, is the daughter of a rights activist named Ela Gandhi.

Meanwhile, several Netizens and commentators have criticized the media for highlighting Lata’s relationship with the Father of the Nation. IFS officer Praveen Angusamy wrote, “Dear reputed newspapers, you could have simply said: ‘Ashish Lata Ramgobin has been sentenced to 7yrs in jail in South Africa’ and could have mentioned Gandhi Ji ‘s link in a passing reference. Nothing wrong in your headline but I find it disrespectful in a way.”