01-12-2005, 05:38 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Mumbai blocks Telgi probe
- By Vishwa Mohan
New Delhi, Jan. 10: The CBI special investigation teamâs biggest obstacle in probing the multi-crore fake stamp paper racket appears to be the Maharashtra government. An important CBI letter requesting "prosecution sanction" against five top police officers of the state has got stuck somewhere in the home department despite repeated reminders sent by the investigating agency.
Consequently, the CBI, which has so far filed 26 chargesheets in cases relating to the fake stamp paper racket, could not file an important chargesheet in the Bund Garden police station case of Pune. Former Mumbai and Pune police commissioner R.S. Sharma and former joint commissioner of police (intelligence) Sreedhar Vagal are two important accused in the case, the investigation of which led to seizures of fake stamp paper worth over Rs 3,000 crores from different places in Maharashtra.
The CBI had on September 9, 2004 sent a formal request under Section 197 of the CrPC to the additional chief secretary (home department), Maharashtra government, for "prosecution sanction" against five persons, including Mr Sharma, Mr Vagal, former DCP (Mumbai Police) P.B. Sawant, assistant commissioner of police (Mumbai) Gokul Bagaji Patil, now retired, and ACP (Pune) M.C. Mulani, also retired. The CBI had also sent a reminder to the state government on October 8, 2004.
"The state government has, however, not provided the requisite prosecution sanction so far against the top cops. The CBI cannot file its chargesheet unless given a formal go-ahead by the concerned authorities," said a senior CBI official.
Besides requesting the home department, the CBI had initially also written to the Maharashtra director-general of police under Section 91© of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for "prosecution sanction" against former assistant police inspector (Mumbai crime branch) D.P. Kamat, Mumbai police inspector V.R. Andhale and P.P. Kakade, a sub-inspector at Thaneâs Meera Road police station. Similarly, the agency had written to the secretary (department of revenue and forests), Maharashtra government, under Section 197 of the CrPC for "prosecution sanction" against Babban Tukaram Ranjane, who was posted as a stamp officer in the stamp department of the state government.
Although the other department and the Maharashtra DGP had provided the CBI with the requisite sanction against four persons as they were middle-level officials, the obstacles remain in the case of the five "top cops". The home department has so far not responded to the CBI despite repeated reminders. The CBI has been having similar problems with the Karnataka government.
The CBI on Monday informed the Supreme Court about the "delay" on the parts of both the state governments. Appearing for the CBI, additional solicitor-general Amarendra Saran informed the top court that several requests for sanction for prosecution of top government officials and police personnel are pending before the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka and requested the court to make the states expedite their decisions on the requests.
The Supreme Court later directed the Karantaka and Maharashtra governments to consider within four weeks the CBIâs request seeking sanction for prosecution of top government officials and police officers accused in multi-crore fake stamp paper scam.
The case allegedly linking the top police officers to the racket came to light when the Pune police first registered a case against prime accused Abdul Karim Ladsab Telgi at Bund Garden police station (135\2002) on June 7, 2002, when Mr R.S. Sharma, an IPS officer and now an accused in the case, was the Pune police commissioner. The investigation of this case was transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Pune, on November 8, 2002, and then to the CBI on the orders of the Supreme Court in March 2004.
Giving the details of the case, the official said an Indica car coming from Mumbai was intercepted near Pune railway station by officers of the Bund Garden police station on June 7, 2002. During this operation, three persons travelling in the car were arrested as a result of the recovery of a suitcase containing counterfeit government stamps and stamp papers, foreign bill stamps, revenue stamps and share-transfer stamps of different denomination worth Rs. 2,98,794.
Subsequently, an offence was registered under different sections of the IPC and Indian Stamps Act at Bund Garden police station, Pune. The interrogation of the accused later resulted in the arrest of several others and raids on a number of places.
The nature and extent of the fake stamp paper racket can be understood by the fact that the CBI has so far already questioned 1,024 persons, including Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal, and senior public servants, including additional director-general of Tamil Nadu police S. Ramani, during its over nine-month-long investigation.
The CBI, which had taken up the investigating of 48 fake stamp paper cases across India on the directions of the Supreme Court on March 15, 2004, filed a status report before the top court on Monday. Of the 48 cases transferred to the CBI last year, 23 were from Maharashtra, 10 from Karnataka and three each from UP and Andhra Pradesh, two each from Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh and one each from Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala and West Bengal.
According to the status report, a total of 26 chargesheets and two closure reports have been filed by the CBI in courts in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Patna. During the investigations, the CBI seized 18 film positives meant for printing these fake stamp papers, a printing press and arrested 15 absconders, the status report said.
"One chargesheet has been filed in respect of a non-Telgi gang, which shows that the illegal business of fake stamps was not confined to the organised network of Abdul Karim Telgi alone," said an earlier CBI status report filed in the Supreme Court in November 2004.
The report said, "Dubious roles and conduct of a large number of public servants and other persons in public life are being established through the investigations conducted by the CBI. It is being firmly indicated in a number of instances that the accused public servants had actively aided and abetted the organised crime syndicate of Telgi by way of obtaining pecuniary benefits. Systemic faults and loopholes in administrative procedures have been revealed and identified during the investigations." <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
- By Vishwa Mohan
New Delhi, Jan. 10: The CBI special investigation teamâs biggest obstacle in probing the multi-crore fake stamp paper racket appears to be the Maharashtra government. An important CBI letter requesting "prosecution sanction" against five top police officers of the state has got stuck somewhere in the home department despite repeated reminders sent by the investigating agency.
Consequently, the CBI, which has so far filed 26 chargesheets in cases relating to the fake stamp paper racket, could not file an important chargesheet in the Bund Garden police station case of Pune. Former Mumbai and Pune police commissioner R.S. Sharma and former joint commissioner of police (intelligence) Sreedhar Vagal are two important accused in the case, the investigation of which led to seizures of fake stamp paper worth over Rs 3,000 crores from different places in Maharashtra.
The CBI had on September 9, 2004 sent a formal request under Section 197 of the CrPC to the additional chief secretary (home department), Maharashtra government, for "prosecution sanction" against five persons, including Mr Sharma, Mr Vagal, former DCP (Mumbai Police) P.B. Sawant, assistant commissioner of police (Mumbai) Gokul Bagaji Patil, now retired, and ACP (Pune) M.C. Mulani, also retired. The CBI had also sent a reminder to the state government on October 8, 2004.
"The state government has, however, not provided the requisite prosecution sanction so far against the top cops. The CBI cannot file its chargesheet unless given a formal go-ahead by the concerned authorities," said a senior CBI official.
Besides requesting the home department, the CBI had initially also written to the Maharashtra director-general of police under Section 91© of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for "prosecution sanction" against former assistant police inspector (Mumbai crime branch) D.P. Kamat, Mumbai police inspector V.R. Andhale and P.P. Kakade, a sub-inspector at Thaneâs Meera Road police station. Similarly, the agency had written to the secretary (department of revenue and forests), Maharashtra government, under Section 197 of the CrPC for "prosecution sanction" against Babban Tukaram Ranjane, who was posted as a stamp officer in the stamp department of the state government.
Although the other department and the Maharashtra DGP had provided the CBI with the requisite sanction against four persons as they were middle-level officials, the obstacles remain in the case of the five "top cops". The home department has so far not responded to the CBI despite repeated reminders. The CBI has been having similar problems with the Karnataka government.
The CBI on Monday informed the Supreme Court about the "delay" on the parts of both the state governments. Appearing for the CBI, additional solicitor-general Amarendra Saran informed the top court that several requests for sanction for prosecution of top government officials and police personnel are pending before the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka and requested the court to make the states expedite their decisions on the requests.
The Supreme Court later directed the Karantaka and Maharashtra governments to consider within four weeks the CBIâs request seeking sanction for prosecution of top government officials and police officers accused in multi-crore fake stamp paper scam.
The case allegedly linking the top police officers to the racket came to light when the Pune police first registered a case against prime accused Abdul Karim Ladsab Telgi at Bund Garden police station (135\2002) on June 7, 2002, when Mr R.S. Sharma, an IPS officer and now an accused in the case, was the Pune police commissioner. The investigation of this case was transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Pune, on November 8, 2002, and then to the CBI on the orders of the Supreme Court in March 2004.
Giving the details of the case, the official said an Indica car coming from Mumbai was intercepted near Pune railway station by officers of the Bund Garden police station on June 7, 2002. During this operation, three persons travelling in the car were arrested as a result of the recovery of a suitcase containing counterfeit government stamps and stamp papers, foreign bill stamps, revenue stamps and share-transfer stamps of different denomination worth Rs. 2,98,794.
Subsequently, an offence was registered under different sections of the IPC and Indian Stamps Act at Bund Garden police station, Pune. The interrogation of the accused later resulted in the arrest of several others and raids on a number of places.
The nature and extent of the fake stamp paper racket can be understood by the fact that the CBI has so far already questioned 1,024 persons, including Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal, and senior public servants, including additional director-general of Tamil Nadu police S. Ramani, during its over nine-month-long investigation.
The CBI, which had taken up the investigating of 48 fake stamp paper cases across India on the directions of the Supreme Court on March 15, 2004, filed a status report before the top court on Monday. Of the 48 cases transferred to the CBI last year, 23 were from Maharashtra, 10 from Karnataka and three each from UP and Andhra Pradesh, two each from Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh and one each from Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala and West Bengal.
According to the status report, a total of 26 chargesheets and two closure reports have been filed by the CBI in courts in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Patna. During the investigations, the CBI seized 18 film positives meant for printing these fake stamp papers, a printing press and arrested 15 absconders, the status report said.
"One chargesheet has been filed in respect of a non-Telgi gang, which shows that the illegal business of fake stamps was not confined to the organised network of Abdul Karim Telgi alone," said an earlier CBI status report filed in the Supreme Court in November 2004.
The report said, "Dubious roles and conduct of a large number of public servants and other persons in public life are being established through the investigations conducted by the CBI. It is being firmly indicated in a number of instances that the accused public servants had actively aided and abetted the organised crime syndicate of Telgi by way of obtaining pecuniary benefits. Systemic faults and loopholes in administrative procedures have been revealed and identified during the investigations." <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->