Hours after he Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner and BJP MP Satyapal Singh was inducted into the Union Cabinet, RTI activist Anil Galgali on Sunday revived his clamour for the stripping of Singh’s lok Sabha membership for withholding information about his unpaid dues to the collector's office, in his 2014 election affidavit.
Galgali, who had filed an application before the Election Commission in March last year seeking stripping of Singh’s membership over hiding information in his poll affidavit, said that he had not received any communication from the EC in response to his representation.
“It is nearly one and a half years since I made a representation to the EC seeking annulment of Satyapal Pal’s membership. In a day or two, I will be making one more written representation seeking action against Singh who has now become a Minister of State in the Modi Cabinet,” Galgali said.
In his application dated March 11, 2016 filed before the Election Commissioner, lok Sabha Speaker and the Prime minister's Office (PMO) Galgali had said that Singh had failed to pay Rs 48,420 fine imposed by the Mumbai Suburban Collector for renting out his flat at Patliputra Society, Andheri without proper permission from collector, as required under the law.
“Singh’s flat is built on highly subsidised land provided for housing of top government officials. As per rules, he (Singh) should have taken the Collector's permission after payment of prescribed fee. The Collector issued him a notice on January 28, 2013 for payment of dues. Singh, then holding the post of Police commissioner of Mumbai Police chose to overlook the notice and the subsequent reminders,” Galgali said.
Singh, it may recalled, had resigned from the post as the Mumbai Commissioner to contest 2014 lok Sabha polls, which he won on a BJP ticket from Baghpat seat in Uttar Pradesh.
“Now, this fact has come to light that Singh has not mentioned these ‘Government dues’ in his election affidavit. The handbook for candidates of lS election specifically states that candidates should furnish details on five counts as prescribed by SC judgment in Union of India v/s Association for democratic reforms,” the RTI activist had said.
According to Galgali, the relevant rule in the handbook for candidates makes it mandatory on a candidate to reveal details of his criminal conviction, pending cases, Assets, Government liabilities & educational qualifications in affidavit filed before election officer.
The relevant rule reads thus: ‘liabilities if any, particularly whether there are any old dues of any financial institution or government dues’.
Galgali said that since Singh violated the election rules, he deserved to be stripped of the lok Sabha membership.
The flat owned by Singh at Andheri’s Patliputra Society was in the news for wrong reasons in June 2014. At that time, the Mumbai police had claimed Singh’s flat at Patliputra Society had been allegedly used to run a flesh trade racket since March 2013.
The second-floor apartment had been with India Bulls on a 33-month lease that was to end in August 2014, with the company handing it over to a caretaker in early 2013. Vakil Raju Shah (38), the caretaker who was arrested on May 31 had told the police during interrogation that he had no knowledge that the house was originally owned by Singh. Shah had allegedly let the flat to be misused by one Raja, who had offered him extra income if he gave access to the three-bedroom house for a few hours every day, or on days when the owners did not occupy it.
On his part, Singh had then claimed that he found the claim by the city police as “fishy” and alleged that it was a “planted” probe.
“Interestingly, a sex racket was exposed by the Mumbai police being run from his same flat no 1002 in Patliputra Society in June 2014. Pending an inquiry on a complaint lodged by me with the EC, Satyapal Singh has been appointed as a Minister of State. It reflects the sad state of affairs in the country,” Galgali said.