Jayrajsinh Jadeja is a

convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

murderer Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

from the state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. A member of the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...

, he was elected to the

Gujarat Legislative Assembly The Gujarat Legislative Assembly or Gujarat Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Gujarat, in the state capital Gandhinagar. Presently, 182 members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected from single-member ...

representing Gondal. His son, Ganesh Jadeja has been alleged to play a role in death of a

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of Indic languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the state * Rajasthani architecture, Indian ar ...

youth in Gondal.

Early life

Jayrajsinh was born in

and his father, Jayrajsinh Temubha Jadeja, was a farmer.

Criminal history

In 2017, the

Gujarat High Court The Gujarat High Court is the High Court of the state of Gujarat. It was established on 1 May 1960 under the ''Bombay Re-organisation Act, 1960'' after the state of Gujarat split from Bombay State. The seat of the court is Ahmedabad. Establ ...

convicted Jadeja for the 2004 murder of property dealer Nilesh Raiyani in Gondal, sentencing them to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

. The case stemmed from a dispute over a 35-acre heritage property, with eyewitnesses testifying that Jadeja fired the fatal shots. Although acquitted by a fast-track court in 2010, the High Court overturned this decision, and Jadeja’s appeal remains pending in the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, with him out on

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...

as of 2021. In 2012, Jadeja faced allegations of assault and rioting in Nagadka village, Gondal, following a clash with supporters of rival

Gordhan Zadafia Gordhan Zadafia (born 20 June 1954) is an Indian politician from Gujarat, India. He was a leader in Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) for 15 years before joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He served as the General Secretary of BJP in Ahmedabad ci ...

, but was acquitted in 2021 due to insufficient evidence. In March 2025, Jayrajsinh Jadeja’s son, Ganesh Jadeja, was accused of involvement in the death of Rajkumar Jat, a UPSC aspirant from Bhilwara, Rajasthan. Rajkumar, who had been preparing for civil service examinations in

Rajkot, Gujarat Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of more ...

, went missing on 2 March 2025, following an alleged altercation with security personnel outside the residence of Gondal MLA

Geetaba Jadeja Geetaba Jayrajsinh Jadeja (born 1968) is an Indian politician from Gujarat. She is a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Gondal Assembly constituency in Rajkot district. She won the 2022 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election represen ...

, Jayrajsinh’s wife. His body was discovered on 4 March 2025, on the

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

Highway and identified days later. Rajkumar’s father alleged that Ganesh Jadeja and his associates were responsible for his son’s death, claiming it was a murder rather than an accident. The case sparked protests in

Bhilwara Bhilwara () is a city and administrative headquarters in Bhilwara district of the Mewar region of Rajasthan, India. It has been termed as 'Textile city'. History Stone Age tools dating from 5,012 to 200,000 years were found in Bundi and ...

and demands for a CBI investigation from political figures, including

Hanuman Beniwal Hanuman Beniwal (born 2 March 1972) is an Indian politician, farmer leader and founder of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), known for advocating the farmer rights and opposing corruption. He is serving as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha fr ...

and

Ummeda Ram Beniwal Ummeda Ram Beniwal (born 15 July 1977; ) is an Indian politician from Barmer, Rajasthan. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Barmer in 2024. He is a member of Indian National Congress. Political career He was a member of Rashtriya Loktantr ...

References

Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Gujarat Gujarat politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People convicted of murder by India {{Gujarat-BJP-politician-stub