HC gets...

During the last hearing, the court had also put each member of the SIT on notice and asked them to file individual affidavits regarding the progress in the case, on record. However, the affidavits filed hardly indicated any progress, after which the court decided not to give the SITS or the government any more leeway, and instead, mooted a court-monitored probe in which periodic progress is ensured along with accountability of investigating machinery.

Continuing its tough stance against the irrigation scam and perpetrators who siphoned public money, the high court posed some tough questions to the state on Thursday about the failure in demonstrating substantial progress in the last four months, and rejected objections raised by respondents about naming a panel to monitor the SIT.

The SITS themselves were formed only after the HC stepped up the pressure on the government. The two SITS are headed by senior officers from the ACB of Nagpur and Amravati units.

The state government came under fire for being lenient towards top guns involved in irrigation scam and later the chief secretary, in his affidavit, had promised to provide these SITS with “necessary legal assistance and technical help in areas of auditing, etc. as required to speed up investigations”. During last hearings the high court had lashed out at the state government for citing lame excuse of constraints of manpower and logistics for tardy progress in completing enquiry into irrigation scam matters.

Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing on Wednesday said the investigation into the Raigad River project near Chandur Railway and Wagdi Barrage minor irrigation project in Yavatmal, are being conducted in a transparent manner.