Pujari not to continue MPSC scam investigation: HC

Mumbai, Jun 8 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today cancelled a vacation court order allowing Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sudhakar Pujari to continue with the investigation of the 1999 Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) scam despite being transferred.

Pujari was transferred recently and a city-based lawyer, Varsha Sawant, had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the same.

Hearing the PIL, the vacation court in May had refused to stay transfer of Mr Pujari, but allowed him to continue investigation of the scam.

However, a division bench comprising Justices R M Lodha and A S Bagga today held that according to the state's and anti-corruption bureau's (ACB) submission, the investigation had been completed and the transfer was just a routine procedure.

Meanwhile, ACP Pujari today alleged that there were lapses in the investigation led by Joint Commissioner of Police A P Dhere.

On that, the High Court directed Mr Dhere to examine and reply to the affidavit submitted by Mr Pujari.

Advocate Pradip Patil, the petitioner's laywer, contended that there was some tampering with the investigation being done which had led to Pujari's transfer.

To this, the Judges asked why the same objection had not been raised by the petitioner when the main person (Dhere) had been transferred ealier this year.

Justice Lodha also held that as a police officer, Pujari should have moved on and let the officer replacing him bring the investigation to its logical conclusion.

Notwithstanding the earlier point, the court accepted the affidavit filed by Pujari, submitting the details of the malpractices, and evidences he obtained during investigation and directed Mr Dhere to examine the same and decide whether the investigation in the matter had concluded or not.

The court would then take up the matter after submission of Dhere's reply.

Until then, the court has refrained from staying Pujari's transfer and also from letting him continue investigating the MPSC scam.

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