NCP calls for judicial probe against Rashmi Shukla

MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) demanded a judicial probe into the Maharashtra government’s decision to refuse permission to the city police to prosecute senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rashmi Shukla in an alleged phone-tapping case registered in the Colaba police station.

NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said the state’s decision was akin to giving Shukla a “pardon” though there are cases registered against Shukla.

“Let the court investigate and decide who is guilty and not the government,” Tapase said on Friday.

The Colaba police in March registered a First Information

Report based on a complaint lodged by additional commissioner of Police (Special Branch) Rajiv Jain accusing Shukla of tapping phones of Shiv Sena leader and Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut and NCP leader Eknath Khadse, when she headed the State Intelligence Department (SID). Following

investigation, the police filed a 750-page chargesheet.

The government that had ordered the illegal phone-tapping case (against political leaders) is back in power and has stopped investigation against her, Tapase said.

Of the four cases filed in the alleged illegal phone-tapping case, only one – filed by the cyber crime cell against unknown persons in March 2021– remains. Earlier this month, the Pune police filed a closure report, bringing to an end an investigation into state Congress party chief Nana Patole’s claim that Shukla had tapped his phone in 2016-17 while she served as Police commissioner of Pune.

HT PHOTO Rashmi Shukla.