Irrigation scam: Ajit Pawar still not out of woods

MUMBAI: The ACB, in its first charge sheet filed in the irrigation scam on Balganga dam project on Monday, didn’t charge both NCP politicians Ajit Pawar and Sunil

MUMBAI: The ACB, in its first charge sheet filed in the irrigation scam on Balganga dam project on Monday, didn’t charge both NCP politicians Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare, but it didn’t miss to mention that Pawar’s role is subject to further probe. It also said that he hasn’t been given a clean chit yet. MUMBAI: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), in its first charge sheet filed in the irrigation scam on Balganga dam project on Monday, didn’t charge both NCP politicians Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare, but it didn’t miss to mention that Pawar’s role is subject to further probe. It also said that he hasn’t been given a clean chit yet.

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The 153-page charge sheet, which annexures running into 29,847 pages (30,000-page dossier in all) while making a case against 10 accused — four Khatri family members who own the contractual firm FA Enterprises and six Konkan Irrigation Development Corporation (KIDC) officials — gave Pawar and his colleague Sunil Tatkare a miss.

The ex-deputy chief minister’s name figured in the last page of the charge sheet, with the investigation agency making it clear that the politician’s role is yet to be probed.

The ACB officials said the investigation in the case will continue under Cr Pc 173 (8), which allows them to attach further reports and evidence if so uncovered in the ongoing probe. This, they added, also allows them to file a supplementary charge sheet, at a later stage against other accused.

“There are three or four angles that are yet to be probed. For instance, we still have to investigate if there can be any money trail from contractors or officials to the politicians. Under 173 (8) we have the right to investigate further,” said a senior ACB official. However, political experts said Pawar’s name figuring in the scam depends on political will and strategy.

They added that in early 2019, ahead of next general and assembly polls, is a good guess of when the NCP politician may find himself in troubled waters.

The charge sheet points at fudging the entire tender process like putting up a fake competitor firm, fake bank guarantee of Rs1.52 crore, forging documents, bidding by sister concerns.