SC grants SIT eight weeks to finish probe against Kripashankar

The Supreme Court on Monday gave the Special Investigating Team eight weeks to complete its probe into the alleged amassing of disproportionate assets by former Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh and his family.

The Supreme Court on Monday gave the Special Investigating Team eight weeks to complete its probe into the alleged amassing of disproportionate assets by former Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh and his family.

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A bench of justice HL Dattu and justice CK Prasad also said the SIT would be headed by the present Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh. The team was earlier headed by former police commissioner Arup Patnaik, who was recently promoted as DGP.

The Maharashtra government has submitted to the Supreme Court two reports on the SIT probe, in sealed covers, about the alleged benami assets of Singh and his family members.

The first report was filed on April 16 in compliance with the March 13 order of the Supreme Court, which had asked the SIT to probe and collect documentary evidence regarding all movable and immovable properties of Singh and his family, including his wife, son, daughter-in-law and daughter and file its report in a sealed envelope.

It had also restrained the politician and his family members from “alienating, transferring or dealing with properties” enumerated in the petition against them while the case was pending and directed them to file an affidavit within three days giving an undertaking for the same.

The apex court had passed its order on petitions filed by Kripashankar and his family members seeking a stay on the Bombay high court order of February 22 directing the then city police commissioner to prosecute them for “criminal misconduct” under the Prevention of Corruption Act.