The Hindu : Action against Bhujbal, Deshmukh demanded

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 15, 2004

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Action against Bhujbal, Deshmukh demanded

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, FEB. 14. The Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra, Narayan Rane, has demanded the arrest of the former Deputy Chief Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, the former Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, and the then Revenue Minister, Ashok Chavan, for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore stamp scam, following the `disclosures' by the principal accused, Abdul Karim Telgi, during the narco-analysis and other tests.

In an application to the Special Court in Pune trying his case, the jailed legislator, Anil Gote, has also demanded that Mr. Bhujbal be arrested under the Maharashtra Organised Crime Control Act. The Judge, B.N. Deshmukh, has asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to file its response to Mr. Gote's application by February 23.Mr. Gote's contention is that Telgi named Mr. Bhujbal in the narco-analysis and brain mapping test stating that he made huge payments to the former Deputy Chief Minister for getting favours. Mr. Gote has also demanded the arrest of the then Additional Police Commissioner of Pune, S.M. Mushreef, for Telgi has stated that the officer helped him. SIT sources here suggest that Mr. Bhujbal would be summoned and questioned by the investigating team before it files its reply in the Special Court in Pune on February 23. The interrogation is expected to focus on two sensitive questions: how the top police officers ended up helping Telgi and whether they were driven by the need to pay huge sums for getting plum postings.

The SIT is also expected to call Mr. Deshmukh, who had recommended issuance of stamp vendor licence to Telgi. Mr. Deshmukh has said that he would cooperate with the SIT and has admitted to endorsing Telgi's application in 1994 as the then Revenue Minister at the behest of Mr. Gote, who was then a correspondent of a Marathi newspaper. Telgi has reportedly denied through his lawyer that he named any politician. But the names have emerged out of the test reports filed by the SIT in Pune's court.

Meanwhile, yet another public interest litigation has been filed in the Mumbai High Court against the SIT. The petitioner, Yogesh Modi, has said that the appointment of the SIT violated the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and also the Mumbai Police Act. He has demanded a stay on the functioning of the SIT and sought a review and scrutiny of the investigation so far. The petition is expected to come up for admission next week.

The Mumbai High Court already has before it an application by the jailed former Mumbai Police Commissioner, R.S. Sharma, challenging the appointment of a retired Director General of Police, S.S. Puri, as the head of the SIT.

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