FADNAVIS CLEAN CHIT TO TWO OF HIS MINISTERS MAY BACKFIRE

MUMBAI: Three days after the police inspector heading a SIT that was probing the Rs16-crore Dadasaheb Rawal co-operative bank scam wrote to his district police superintendent in Dhule that his team planned on arresting 56 accused in the scam, chief min ister Devendra Fadnavis issued orders to transfer the probe to the CID. The transfer orders came after six of the bank’s directors and accused in the scam wrote to Fadnavis a day before the SIT chief ’s request, that the probe was politically motivated and should be given to an independent agency

This was back in August 2015 but assumes significance now as accused Number 3 in the SIT’S FIR was the grandson of co-operative baron Dadasaheb Rawal and direc tor of the bank — Jaykumar Rawal who is among the two young faces inducted in the Fadnavis cabinet this month. The probe into the scam was transferred even though in 2013, then Inspector General of Police, Deven Bharati denied a similar plea to transfer the case to CID. He had called for setting up a SIT to investigate the case as the crime, offenders and records were in Dondaicha, in the Dhule district

The CM may have given a clean chit in the Assembly to all ministers facing allegations of corruption and wrongdoing. But the allegations against two young ministers — Rawal (tourism) and Sambhaji Nilangekar Patil (labour) — are likely to become sticking points with more details and documents against them com ing to light. Both the ministers are facing criminal proceedings