FIR filed against Mahajan under pressure: CBI
CBI's closure report in MCOCA court states case against BJP leader Girish Mahajan couldn't be proven. Allegations of framing by ex-home minister Deshmukh mentioned.
Pune: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its closure report submitted to the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court stated that the case registered against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and state rural development minister Girish Mahajan could not be substantiated.
A case was filed against Mahajan and 28 others on charges of causing grievous hurt to extract a confession, kidnapping, extortion, theft, criminal trespass, and other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the MCOCA on a first information report (FIR) by Vijay Bhaskar Patil in 2020. The Zero FIR lodged at the Nimbhora Police Station in Jalgaon was later transferred to Kothrud counterpart, where the alleged incident took place.
Filed on January 17, 2024, and accessed by HT on Monday, the CBI report has cited statement from the then Jalgaon superintendent of police (SP) Pravin Mundhe indicating that Anil Deshmukh, as home minister in 2021, had called him multiple times, used a threatening tone and told him to register a case against Mahajan and others.
The report mentions that the then director general of police (DGP) Sanjay Pandey had informed the then Pune commissioner of police (CP) Amitabh Gupta that the then deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Poornima Gaikwad was convinced that MCOCA should be invoked against the complainant, even though Gupta felt it was unwarranted. The CBI accused Gaikwad of pressurising the case investigation officer Gajanan Tompe even as no evidence in the alleged kidnaping of Patil came on record.
After filing the closure report earlier this year at the court of Additional Sessions Judge SR Salunkhe, CBI submitted another application seeking adjournment on it citing that they plan to file the document before the appropriate court.
The court on Monday asked the CBI to decide on the matter at the earliest and posted the next hearing for September 3 when an anticipatory bail application of Shivaji Bhoite, one of the accused, is likely to come up for hearing, said defence counsel Pranav Pokale.
The CBI report also carried statements of senior police officials identified as witnesses.
In March 2022, Devendra Fadnavis, as the leader of Opposition, had presented a pen drive in the assembly, claiming it contained conversations and video footage of individuals, including Special Public Prosecutor Pravin Chavan, regarding the planting of evidence to frame a fake case against Mahajan. The case was transferred to the CBI, which recorded Mundhe’s statement alleging he was pressured by Deshmukh to file the case against Mahajan.
Mundhe confirmed of giving statement to the CBI, but refused to share the details.
As per the closure report, complainant Patil came to Mundhe’s office prior to registration of the offence with application. Before his visit, Deshmukh had called Mundhe and said that Chavan will brief him regarding the matter.
“Again, after a gap of week, Deshmukh called Mundhe and said he is sending the complainant again to register the case. Mundhe asked the complainant to go to Pune,” the 30-page-report reads. Later, Mundhe briefed the nature of complaint and facts to his seniors — the then Nashik Range inspector general (IG) and additional director general (Law and Order); and director general of police (DGP).
“Deshmukh called him (Mundhe) and in a threatening tone said why the state home minister has to call three times to get a single FIR registered...,” states the report signed by CBI officer Mukesh Sharma, Additional SP, Delhi. On July 24, deputy chief minister Fadnavis had alleged that Deshmukh threatened Mundhe to register an offense against Mahajan.
“With the closure report the truth has come out on how Deshmukh as the home minister tried to pressurise the police, including senior officer like the then Jalgaon SP Pravin Mundhe. It was only to frame me and corner Fadnavis,” said Mahajan.
Despite repeated attempts, Deshmukh could not be reached for comment.
While MCOCA was invoked against eight persons in the case, the CBI closure report claims that the “alleged offence was not an organised crime as per evidence collected”.
The CBI alleged that Chavan had also approached Gupta for invoking MCOCA in the case. “It further revealed that Poornima Gaikwad colluded with Pravin Chavan in invoking MCOCA in the case.”