The Opposition NCP and Congress came under tremendous heat ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, due in October this year, as the Mumbai Police on Monday registered an FIR against the directors of Maharashtra State Co-Operative Bank (MSCB), including Ajit Pawar and Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil, State Government officials and politicians for their alleged involvement in a 1,000-crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam case.
Acting on a directive by the Bombay High Court that held last week that there was prima facie credible evidence in the scam, the Economic Offence Wing of the Mumbai police registered an FIR with the MRA Marg Police Station against MSC Bank, directors in district cooperative banks in Maharashtra, an Cooperative bank, officials of the Maharashtra Government and others under sections 406, 409, 420, 467,468, 471, 34, 120(B) IPC and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“After perusing the charge-sheet filed under the MCSAct and the Inspection Report of the NABARD, in our view, for the reasons stated therein, as also, the report of the the inquiries and inspection constitutes credible information and/ matter which
prima facie discloses commission of cognisable offences punishable under IPC and other laws,” a two-member division HC bench comprising Justices S C Dharmadhikari and SK Shinde had noted on Thursday while directing the EOW of the Mumbai police to register an FIR within five days against all those involved in the scam.
The High Court had ordered registration of an FIR against all those involved in the scam, after hearing a public interest litigation filed by Mumbai-based activist Surinder M Arora.
The findings of an inspection carried out by the NABARD and the charge-sheet filed under the MCS Act have revealed that 77 MSCB directors — 57 belonging to the NCP, nine belonging to the Congress, two belonging to the Shiv Sena and one belonging to the BJP — are allegedly involved in the scam.