Special Public Prosecutor Pravin Chavan handles high-profile cases

Special Public Prosecutor Pravin Chavan, in the eye of a political storm, handles high-profile cases

PUNE: Pune-based special public prosecutor Pravin Chavan is in the eye of a storm after the leader of the opposition, Devendra Fadnavis, levelled serious allegations that the Maharashta Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is misusing state agencies to frame Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in false cases.

Special Public Prosecutor Pravin Chavan, in the eye of a political storm, handles high-profile cases. (HT)

In the past six years, Chavan has emerged as a high-profile public prosecutor handling key cases, mostly involving financial frauds. Fadnavis alleged that the lawyer ‘coached’ Pune police to make false cases against BJP leader Girish Mahajan, and even tried to stop the investigation into the Nawab Malik case. Fadnavis submitted video recordings purportedly having footage of Chavan before the legislative assembly deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal, and alleged that they contained proof of a conspiracy to frame BJP leaders, particularly Mahajan, in false cases. Fadnavis said that in the videos, Chavan is seen talking about high-level meetings ranging from the chief minister to the state DGP to the police commissioner aimed at framing Mahajan under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and getting him arrested. “Special public prosecutor advocate Chavan conspired to trap opposition leaders, including me and Sudhir Mungantiwar. The criminal conspiracy was hatched by him and he even drafted the FIR,” Fadnavis said.

Hailing from Jalgaon, advocate Chavan has been practising in the city for the past few years. He has his office located in the upmarket Model colony where he meets his clients. In the wake of Fadnavis’ allegations based on video footage of his office, Chavan claimed that someone from his office might have been manipulated by his rivals. “The government is not mine and I am not in politics or the government. I have never been connected with any election or any political personality. The video is mine but not the audio. A forensic investigation is needed and it is up to the government to order any kind of investigation. I am a lawyer in important cases of the government. In those cases, the accused did not get bail. It could be that they want the lawyer to be out of the case as they are not getting bail. I am seen sitting in the office but the audio is not mine. It seems that they have managed my office,” Chavan said.

The cases handled by Chavan in the past include a corruption case involving two former ministers, Suresh Jain and Gulabrao Deokar, who were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by the Dhule district court. He was also the prosecutor in the DSK financial fraud, Samruddhi Jeevan scam, and Bhaichand Raisoni case among others. Chavan’s colleagues said that he vociferously raised the prosecution’s say in different cases in the district court, especially in the case related to D S Kulkarni. A senior lawyer practising in Pune and the high court said, “Chavan has very good political contacts. Whatever has come out is a matter of police investigation.”