CBI files case against former Home Minister, top officials

| Updated: 09 September, 2024 8:54 am IST
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New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a case against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Special Public Prosecutor Pravin Pandit Chavan, and senior police officers for allegedly conspiring to falsely implicate BJP leaders in a fabricated case.

 

The investigation began after the CBI launched a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) into the matter. The inquiry followed the submission of pen drives containing audio and video recordings, which were handed over to the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by then-Opposition Leader Devendra Fadnavis. These recordings were later passed to the CID for investigation.

 

According to the FIR, the recordings show Special Public Prosecutor Pravin Pandit Chavan involved in plotting with high-ranking police officers to frame prominent BJP leaders. The footage reportedly shows Chavan orchestrating false cases, coaching witnesses, arranging cash payments, and instructing officers on how to fabricate evidence, including planting a knife and staging a raid to falsely link the BJP leaders to criminal activity.

 

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The CBI’s enquiry revealed that Chavan, along with Vijay Bhaskarrao Patil and Anil Deshmukh, conspired to register a false FIR related to a 2018 incident in Pune, intending to implicate BJP members and gain control of the Jalgaon Zilla Maratha Vidya Prasarak Sahakari Samaj Limited (an educational institution). This Zero FIR, initially filed in Jalgaon, was later transferred to Pune’s Kothrud police station.

 

The FIR states that Pravin Pandit Chavan, with the help of police officers Poornima Gaikwad (then DCP) and Sushma Chavan (ACP/Investigating Officer), fabricated witness statements and evidence to falsely implicate BJP leaders.

 

The CBI has registered a case under Sections 120-B, 167, and 211 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Chavan, Patil, Gaikwad, Sushma Chavan, and Deshmukh. The investigation is ongoing.

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