MPSC scam Investigating Officer Poojari transferred

Mumbai, May 7 (UNI) Despite the Supreme Court's directive of February 2003, to not transfer Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and Investigating Officer Sudhakar Poojari in the multi-crore 1999 Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) scam till the investigation was complete, he was shunted out of ACB office here.

The investigation in the MPSC scam case is yet to be completed.

The Additional Sessions Judge P N Deshmukh has also given an extention for investigation in the case.

Mr Poojari confirmed he had received tranfered order from State Police Headquarter as well as relieving order from ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) office yesterday itself.

He declined to comment on his transfer and said, ''mujhe toh kahinbhi kaam karna hai.'' In February 2003, while hearing the bail application of Dr S D Karnik, Supreme court division bench justice M B Shah and and Justice Arun Kumar had directed the state government to not transfer Poojari till the investigation was complete. The order was communicated to the government by the solicitor General.

Home department officials, however, said that this was part of routine transfer as he had completed three-years of tenure in the ACB office.

Earlier, Poojari was tranfered to Solhapur police training institute in 2003, on which a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) was filed in Bombay High Court. The high court directed that Poojari should be reinstated at ACB.

Police sources said that after the Lohar brothers' dismissal from service following disqualification of their exam by MPSC, top bosses feared that if the Lohar brother's case was given to Poojari for investigation, there was possibility that the role of the senior IPS officer would be exposed.

In the MPSC scam a total of 29 people were arrested including former MPSC chairman Dr S D Karnik, P D Wani, MPSC examination controller Sudhakar Sarode, member Sayali Joshi, Deputy superintendent of police Baban Kadan, Hinduja college principal R D Shivare and others.

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