Maharashtra govt refuses to share Rashmi Shukla’s report, related material with CBI

The government on Friday filed an affidavit stating that the report and related documents were seized as evidence in the case in connection with purported illegal phone tapping

The Maharashtra government has refused to share with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) any documents or other material about phone tapping done by IPS officer Rashmi Shukla when she was the commissioner of state intelligence department and her report about corruption in transfer and postings of senior police officers.

Rashmi Shukla. (HT PHOTO)

The government on Friday filed an affidavit through advocate Ajay Misar stating that the report and related documents were seized as evidence in the case registered by cyber police in connection with the purported illegal phone tapping and leaking of Shukla’s report, and presently all those documents are submitted to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) at Kalina for analysis.

The affidavit is filed in reply to a plea filed by CBI, seeking direction to the state to part with the report and documents for the central agency’s probe in the corruption case registered on April 21 against former home minister Anil Deshmukh.

CBI has registered the offence after former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh on March 20 wrote a letter alleging that Deshmukh had, as home minister, on number of occasions summoned some Mumbai Police officers at his official bungalow and told them to accumulate ₹100 crore from bars and other establishments in Mumbai.

The agency has included the topic of Shukla’s report and reinstatement of controversial dismissed cop Sachin Vaze in the purview of its probe in the case against Deshmukh and had sought the documents for the investigation.

Shukla had carried out telephone tapping between July 17, 2020 and July 29, 2020, after a number of complaints were received at various levels in the police department and in Mantralaya that some persons were acting as conduits for senior police officers to secure transfers at desired places and good postings by paying the then home minister and one “dada”.