Archaeology director caught taking bribe reinstated by Shelar

Maharashtra Archaeology director Tejas Garge reinstated after six months despite a bribery inquiry, with powers reduced amid ongoing investigations.

MUMBAI: Six months after he was suspended in a bribery case, director of the Maharashtra Archaeology and Museums, Tejas Garge, has been reinstated despite a pending inquiry. The cultural affairs department cleared the files of his reinstatement and departmental inquiry on the same day – last Thursday.

Archaeology director caught taking bribe reinstated by Shelar

Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (ACB’s) Nashik unit had booked Garge and assistant director Aarti Aley for accepting a bribe of ₹1.5 lakh at the latter’s residence in May last year. During the investigation, the investigating agency had found the involvement of Garge, who was absconding till he was granted anticipatory bail by Bombay high court.

Garge was reinstated by the state government last Thursday after cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar cleared the file. While clearing the proposal of his reinstatement, the state government also appointed an inquiry committee for the departmental inquiry.

“The departmental inquiry will be conducted by additional chief secretary of general administration department, Seema Vyas. The reinstatement has been done citing the Supreme Court judgements on the reinstatement of suspended government officials. Since we ought to pay 75% of the salary of the suspended employees pending inquiry, the courts have in various cases ruled that instead of paying them without any services the government should reinstate them by appointing them in different roles,” said an official from the GAD (General Administration Department).

Garge has been appointed in the same position though his powers to take decisions with financial implications have been withdrawn.

According to a senior GAD official, reinstatement in such cases does not take place so easily. “His departmental inquiry is yet to begin, an open inquiry is being conducted by the anti-corruption bureau, and his request for quashing the case has reportedly been rejected by the court. Despite this, he has been reinstated and appointed in the same post, which is unusual in the government,” he said.

Questions are also being raised on the delay of initiating an inquiry, though the case was registered in May, and he was suspended in June last year.

Shelar said, “I was told by our department that the reinstatement is mandatory as per the court ruling and it was done by divesting him from the specific job in question. Garge has been divested of the job of issuing NOC to industries for being in the proximity of the monuments.”

Garge said, “The matter is sub-judice before Maharashtra administrative tribunal and the final hearing is expected soon. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on it at this juncture.”

Sharmishtha Walavalkar, superintendent of police (ACB), Nashik said, “The case was full-proof and we have commenced the open inquiry into it.”

Aley had demanded a bribe of ₹1.5 lakh to issue a no objection certificate for a factory unit that the complainant wanted to start in Nashik. On a complaint by the entrepreneur, ACB caught Aley red-handed while accepting the bribe at her Nashik residence. The ACB unit made Aley make a call to Garge to inform him about the money and he directed her to keep the cash with her. The NOC was cleared by the head office in Mumbai headed by Garge.

ACB had booked both Aley and Garge in the bribery case.