Probe into forged documents claims, court tells CID

Probe into the allegations that the developers of a slum rehabilitation project at Dadar have fabricated documents to avail of extra floor space index, the high court has told the crime investigation department (CID).

Probe into the allegations that the developers of a slum rehabilitation project at Dadar have fabricated documents to avail of extra floor space index, the high court has told the crime investigation department (CID).

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A division bench of justice AM Khanwilkar and justice AR Joshi asked the CID to take over the probe into the complaint filed by one of the tenants, Vinod Jain, 41, in 2010.

Joshi has alleged that the assistant commissioner of police of the region connived with three developers of the slum rehabilitation scheme and booked in a false case.

“Nothing has been done since April 2010, when the petitioner first approached the police. Let it [the investigation] go to the CID,” said justice Khanwilkar, while directing an officer not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police to investigate the case. The judges have observed that the allegations were serious as it involved fabrication of documents by the rationing department, the municipal corporation and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking.

Jain, who is in business of plumbing material and hardware, had filed a petition in September 2010, alleging that assistant commissioner of police Madhukar Sankhe of the Dadar division had misused his post to support developers Pradeep Chopda, Jayesh Gala and Nandkishor Naik.

But Sankhe denied the allegations and said that it was a dispute between tenant and developers and the police are unnecessarily being dragged in the matter. “Jain’s uncle originally owned a shop in the building, which is being redeveloped. Now, he [Jain] is trying to use police to pressure the developer in giving him tenement in the redeveloped building,” Sankhe had told the Hindustan Times.

According to Jain’s petition, he has been in possession of the shop in Jalanwadi on Gokhale Road South for the last 40 years, when his grandfather had leased the place. Located behind Jalanwadi there is another plot, Ramshyam. Both these plots were declared as slums under provisions of the Maharashtra Slum Area (improvement, clearance and redevelopment) Act, 1971.

JR Properties and Chaitanya Developer were asked to redevelop Jalanwadi and Ramshyam respectively.

But Jain opposed the redevelopment by these builders alleging that they had “prepared bogus papers like ration card, electricity bills, affidavits and shop and establishment licence on the names of various persons”. During scrutiny, 100 people on both plots were declared as ineligible because their documents were found to be bogus, the petition added.

The high court has asked the CID to submit the progress report by February 22.