Ex-city mayor gets interim relief in ₹49L Covid purchase irregularities case

The case was registered against Pednekar and some senior civic officials, including IAS officer P Velrasu and deputy municipal commissioner for allegedly purchasing body bags during the Covid-19 pandemic at inflated rates

MUMBAI: The sessions court on Friday restrained the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police from taking any coercive action against former city mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar in connection with the Covid purchase irregularities of more than ₹49 lakh.

Mumbai, India - November 25, 2020: Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar during an interview at Mayor bungalow, Byculla in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.(Photo By Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times) (Pratik Chorge/HT PHOTO)

The case was registered against Pednekar and some senior civic officials, including IAS officer P Velrasu and deputy municipal commissioner for allegedly purchasing body bags during the Covid-19 pandemic at inflated rates.

The interim order will continue till August 28 when the court has posted Pednekar’s anticipatory bail plea for further hearing. In the plea filed through her lawyer, Rahul Arote, Pednekar claimed that she has been falsely implicated in the case. She has also claimed that there’s no material to disclose that she was in any way concerned with the firm alleged to have been given orders to supply body bags at inflated rates.

She also claimed that there was also no evidence to disclose that she was a beneficiary of the alleged scam. “The complaint has political overtures is evident from the fact that only after a split in Sena, the complaint is lodged against Pednekar who was then a mayor, and is affiliated to Uddhav Thackeray faction,” reads the plea filed by Arote for Pednekar, adding that complainant Kirit Somaiya, a BJP leader, is a habitual complainant, and has a history of targeting politicians from other parties.

It was also alleged that Pednekar had phoned BMC’s assistant medical officer Haridas Rathod and invited him to her residence and pressured him to award a contract to a private company.

Refuting the allegations, Pednekar said, “Dr Haridas Rathod was only a medical officer and during the Covid pandemic, was given additional charge of deputy dean of Central Purchase Department (CPD). He had no authority to either propose or issue the purchase order on May 15, 2020, for supply of 1,000 body bags in favour of M/s Care One Solutions. The said decision of awarding of contract is taken by the committee of BMC, that is CPD formed for this specific purpose.”

Pednekar further said that being a mayor and earlier a nurse, she had visited several civic-run hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic, wherein, she had received complaints regarding the inferior quality of body bags supplied to them. Hence, she brought all the issues to the notice of the CPD to supply better quality bags.

Pednekar said she visited the CPD on June 13, 2020, along with chairman of the committee Amay Ghole for inspection of the said bags and objected to certain bags as those were found to be substandard.

It is alleged that, M/s Vedanta Innotech Pvt Ltd (VIPL), had allegedly supplied body bags for dead Covid-19 patients to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at ₹6,719 a piece. The contract was awarded to VIPL even when the contract was already awarded to M/s Care One Solutions, to supply body bags at the rate of ₹2,583/- per bag.

The contract was cancelled to award a fresh contract to VIPL which was over three times ( ₹1,500 per piece) what it had charged to other private hospitals or government authorities during the same period, an earlier inquiry had revealed. According to the EOW, Pednekar, unknown public servants and private persons entrusted with the use of funds of the BMC hatched a criminal conspiracy to favour VIPL, its directors and defrauded the BMC to the tune of ₹49,63,200.

The prosecution on Friday also submitted its reply wherein it claimed that they have recorded the statement of Dr Rathod, and the directors of Care One Solutions. The prosecution has contended that Pednekar, being politically active and may influence or threaten witnesses to not come forward during the probe and later at the time of the trial.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday collected documents related to the FIR registered by the EOW against Pednekar and others last week. “After a predicate offence is registered the ED can start its money laundering probe by registering its own Enforcement Case Information Report, if they find material to suspect money laundering. They have taken all relevant documents from us,” said an EOW official.

No pre-arrest bail to Sujit Patkar

The sessions court on Friday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Sujit Patkar, close aide of Sena leader, Sanjay Raut, in connection with the Covid jumbo centre irregularities case. Patkar’s lawyer Subhash Jha however, said that they will approach the Bombay high court next week. Patkar is presently in judicial custody after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.