Asking them to be ‘proactive’ in their approach, the Bombay High Court on Thursday directed various investigating agencies, including the State Anti-Corruption Bureau and Enforcement Directorate (ED), to continue their probe and submit their respective inquiry reports into the allegations of money laundering and land grabbing made against Maharashtra Minister Sunil Tatkare, by August 14.
After perusing the status reports of ACB and Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police submitted to the court by State Advocate General Darius Khambata, a division bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and SC Gupte noted that the investigating agencies would have to investigate the huge wealth allegedly amassed by the Minister.
“The reports are not saying that the allegations are frivolous. But we expect the investigating agencies to now be more proactive. When a Minister of the State Cabinet amasses such wealth then it is a matter of investigation,” Justice Chandrachud observed.
Hearing a public interest litigation filed by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya seeking probe by a special investigation team into the allegations against Tatkare and his family members, a HC division bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and SC Gupte pulled up the Raigad District Collector for lack of application of mind in dealing with the complaint against the Minister.
The HC bench went onto direct the Collector of Raigad district — where Tatkare allegedly owns vast tracts of agricultural land — to probe the allegations himself and submit his report to the court on August 14. Upbraiding the central investigating agencies for their lack of initiative to probe the allegations against the minister, the HC bench demanded to know from the Additional Solicitor General Kevic Setalvad as to why the ED, IT and Registrar of Companies had not done anything in the matter.
“What is the ED doingIJ They have to find out if offence under the Prevention of Money laundering Act is made out,” Justice Chandrachud said.
Maintaining that it would first give a fair opportunity to the state agencies to probe the case, Justice Chandrachud noted: “We only want to see to it that the public authorities do not shut their eyes”.
Dubbing the complaint filed by Somaiya against his client was “politically motivated”, Tatkare’ counsel Aspi Chinoy asked the high court to dismiss the PIl
Senior counsel Aspi Chinoy, appearing for Tatkare, sought the petition to be dismissed saying it was a “politically motivated PIl” and that the petitioner had the alternate remedy of filing a private complaint.
listing 51 fictitious companies floated by Takare with his family members and friends as directors, Somaiya and co-petitioner and Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari charged in their petition that the Tatkare family had purchased vast tracts of agricultural and non-agricultural lands in various parts of the state, through these front companies. They also alleged that the Tarkare family had indulged in large-scale money laundering, thus causing huge losses to the State exchequer.
However, on his part, Tatkare had contested all the allegations made by the BJP leaders, saying that they “false, malicious and frivolous” in nature and dubbing the petition against him as “politically motivated”.
“The allegations made by the petitioner in the PIl are completely false and devoid of any factual basis. The bald and vague allegations of corruption are motivated and does not in fact make out any case of corruption or of commission of any criminal offences,” Tatkare had said in his affidavit.
Tarkare had gone onto state in his petition: “It has been alleged that my family and other associates have floated and purchased several companies which have acquired large land holdings. It has been alleged that these benami companies have been shown favouritism by manipulation in tendering processes and awarding of contracts. This allegation is totally false and vague”.