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INS vikrant case: Will ask Centre about Somaiya’s location, says Maha govt
BJP leader Somaiya and his son Neil Somaiya are among those accused of collecting funds in 2013 for the restoration of INS Vikrant and misappropriating ₹57 crore.
The Maharashtra government will seek information from the Centre on the whereabouts of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya — who is facing allegations of misappropriation of funds — home minister Dilip Walse Patil said on Tuesday, even as Somaiya moved the high court against a trial court order denying him anticipatory bail in the matter.
Somaiya and his son Neil Somaiya are among those accused of collecting funds in 2013 for the restoration of INS Vikrant and misappropriating ₹57 crore. An FIR under IPC sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) had been registered at Trombay police station following a complaint by an ex-Army man. The complaint was filed on a day Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut first made the allegations against Somaiya.
The BJP leader has denied the allegations.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Walse-Patil said, “The one who has been levelling baseless allegations against others has not been able to face the action for the allegations against him. This is not the indication of courage. We will ask the union government to inform us where is the leader who has the security provided by central agency.”
Sena MP Raut claimed that Somaiya was hiding in a BJP-ruled state to avoid police action.
Meanwhile, Somaiya, through his counsel Niranjan Mundargi, moved the HC claiming that the sessions court’s order issued on Monday denying him anticipatory bail was erroneous.
In his plea in the high court, Somaiya said that the complaint was delayed and filed after nine years. He said that similar donations had also been collected by other political parties including Shiv Sena and Congress. He further said that the drive was not conducted by him in an individual capacity but at the party level.
As per the high court’s website, Somaiya’s plea is likely to be heard on Wednesday, before a bench of justice Anuja Prabhudesai.
Somaiya also released a video in which he claimed to have collected only ₹11,000 and not ₹58 crore as alleged by Raut.
“Shiv Sena MP Raut has been claiming that we bagged ₹58 crore collected to save INS Vikrant. The fact is during the notional agitation outside Churchgate station in December 2013, MPs from BJP and Shiv Sena participated. We collected ₹11,000. We also met president of India and governor of Maharashtra urging them to save INS Vikrant. We will apprised the High Court with all these details,” he said.
Somaiya also said that there was no substance in allegations levelled by Raut and the Sena leader has failed to provide evidence.
The Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Tuesday summoned Somaiya and Neil on Wednesday in connection with a cheating case registered against them, an official said on Tuesday.
The father-son duo have been asked to remain present before the investigating officer of the case at 11 am, said an EOW official.
A notice, issued under section 41 (1) (A) of the CrPC (participation in probe of an individual against whom a complaint has been made), was pasted at their residence in Mulund, seeking their presence before the investigating officer, he said.
The Congress also jumped into the fray on Tuesday. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said Somaiya handed over the money collected to the BJP and demanded that the party be made a co-accused for misappropriation.
“There are news reports about Somaiya’s lawyer telling a court that he had handed over the money raised in the name of saving INS Vikrant to BJP. This is a betrayal of the people who were told that the money would be given to Raj Bhavan,” Patole said in a statement.
“The BJP which misappropriated the money raised through ‘Save INS Vikrant’ initiative should be made co-accused,” Patole demanded.
