Ajit Pawar yet to get a clean chit in Balganga dam project, says ACB

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former water resources minister Ajit Pawar is yet to be given a clean chit in the Balganga dam case and the agency

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former water resources minister Ajit Pawar is yet to be given a clean chit in the Balganga dam case and the agency is likely to file a supplementary charge sheet, according to sources in the state anti-corruption bureau (ACB).

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Sources said that the ACB is awaiting certain documents from the state secretariat, following which the future course of action will be decided. The auxiliary charge sheet does mention Pawar’s name, stating that roles of those named before are being probed.

“We are awaiting certain documents in this regard. The probe is underway and we are in consultation with chartered accountants and lawyers. We filed a charge sheet, as it was a year since an FIR was registered and based on the evidence available against the ten accused. We are also trying to determine Pawar’s involvement in the case, if any, as he was the minister then,” said a high-ranking officer privy to the investigation.

Pawar was questioned by the ACB in this case. He was the water resources minister for nearly a decade from 1999 and had allegedly cleared cost escalations of 32 irrigation projects that rose over Rs 17,000 crore. Following allegations of corruption, Pawar quit the cabinet only to return within three months.

Sources stated the ACB is scanning a few others and three agencies, which could be nailed in the future if the agency secures incriminating evidence.