Court reserves Provogue owner’s plea

The Bombay high court on Friday reserved order on a petition filed by Provogue owner Salil Chaturvedi in the alleged drug frame-up case.

The Bombay high court on Friday reserved order on a petition filed by Provogue owner Salil Chaturvedi in the alleged drug frame-up case.

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Chaturvedi’s counsel Vikas Pahwa contended that state Crime Investigation Department officer Ramesh Khade, who was investigating into the allegation that some policemen had planted cocaine in Chaturvedi’s house in 2005, was removed on the request of Subhash Kenjale, one of the accused officers.

On August 2, 2005, a police team had allegedly recovered 3gm of cocaine from Chaturvedi’s residence and subsequently arrested him. Four years later, a designated NDPS court acquitted him of the charge of possessing narcotics.

Pahwa informed the division bench of justice AM Khanvilkar and justice AR Joshi that none of the officers named in the case had appeared before the investigating officer, Khade, despite being summoned several times.

Pahwa contended that the decision to remove Khade and hand over the investigation to some other officer was taken on October 5, 2010, by then additional chief secretary, home.

He also said that then director general of police had, however, urged the home department to reconsider the decision saying it would affect the morale of the police force.