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The Chief Minister of Maharashtra has asked the State Anti Corruption Bureau to start an inquiry against former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other former ministers such as Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal, in cases relating to Irrigation and other scams in Maharashtra.
The trio are senior members in Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). During the recent Assembly elections, the party had lost to BJP and Shiv Sena over the issues of corruption. However, until recently NCP was providing tacit support to BJP Government in Maharashtra Assembly.
The order asking for a probe was not made public by the either by the Chief Minister’s Office or the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB). It was revealed on Friday during the course of arguments in the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court.
According to a PTI report Advocate General of Maharashtra, Sunil Manohar told the bench that he has been authorised by Chief Minister to state that open inquiries by ACB should initiated against Ajit Pawar, Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal.
The bench comprising of Justices Bhushan Gavai and V M Deshpande recorded his statement while disposing a Public Interest Litigation, which has sought an investigation into the scams.
The ACB has been asked to institute inquires against Pawar and Tatkare in connection with alleged irregularities in execution of various irrigation projects during their tenure as Water Resource Ministers of the State.
The ACB has also been ask to inquiry into allegations of corruption and favouritism against former Public Works Department Minister Chhagan Bhujbal in construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi and two other government buildings in Mumbai built under private public partnership model.
Irrigation department officials and contractors responsible for alleged irregularities are also in the crosshair of the ACB.
Reacting to the probe orders Ajit Pawar told media persons that the matter is in the courts and let the court decide its fate. He said that since BJP is in power, they can take any decision as they deem fit
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