Ajit Pawar effect? State to go after 80 corrupt babus

Anticorruption movements have been in vogue in the country for the past year or so but there has been little movement in terms of nailing the corrupt Whether a call of conscience or one from his uncle dictated state deputy CM Ajit Pawarrsquos decision to resign from his post after facing allegations in a Rs 20000crore irrigation scam is still a matter of conjecture but it has left the Democratic Front government high and dry And yet therersquos a comforting prospect Following Pawarrsquos departure mdash since NCP has made its stand clear it appears certain that his resignation would be accepted mdash the state home department on Wednesday sought the details from Anti Corruption Bureau on files of graft cases against babus that need the governmentrsquos nod Till now ACB officials were moving from pillar to post to get sanctions for these pending cases but their pleas fell on deaf ears of government representatives Tired of repeatedly getting entangled in red tape before leaving the post on July 31 this year the then director general of ACB Sanjeev Dayal exposed the government by uploading the minutest details of cases awaiting approval on the bureaursquos website httpacbmaharashtragovin Officials at ACB have since been regularly updating records on the portal Virtual reality ldquoAll the data is accessible on ACBrsquos official website We have also sent timely reminders about the sanctions It is pointless to seek these particulars again and again when the government has hardly reacted on them till daterdquo said a senior ACB officer on condition of anonymity Tellall Before leaving the post on July 31 this year the then director general of ACB Sanjeev Dayal exposed the government by uploading the minutest details of cases awaiting approval from various departments at Mantralaya on the bureaursquos website File pics Records on the website illustrate how the government remained indolent while deciding the fates of more than 80 Class I amp II officers allegedly involved in 73 corruption cases across the state in the last five years Apart from this the government has also not approved the prosecution of more than 200 Class III amp IV officers Moreover 43 open inquiries against several bigwigs including state education minister Vijay Kumar Gavit late Vilasrao Deshmukh former principal secretary of excise and transport CS Sangeetrao commissioners MLAs and collectors are gathering dust at Mantralaya Sources from ACB revealed that in the last few years the bureau has been made to face disparagement from media and other sectors for these undetermined cases ldquoOne should understand that most of these cases require government approval at some stage depending on the grades of the officers who are involved Since the government has turned a blind eye to clearing the requisite authorisations the cases keep piling on System at work As soon as ACB receives a letter from a complainant against Class I and II officers it makes preliminary inquiries If the investigations throw up evidence against the officer ACB has to first write a letter to the home department and seek permission to go ahead with the inquiry From the home ministry the file goes to the department where the tainted officer works and is then sent back to the home department and then to the ACB office with the requisite approval But in actuality in most cases the file hits a dead end after reaching the concerned department While prosecuting Class III and IV officers ACB does not need authorisation to go ahead with investigations But while filing a chargesheet in the case the bureau requires a goahead from the respective department to which the accused is attached In case ACB officials receive a complaint against a minister commissioner MLA or a very senior bureaucrat they make discreet inquiries into the matter Once they are through with the inquest they seek consent from the government to conduct an open inquiry into the matter wherein the accused is called to the ACB office The officials record his statements pertaining to the complaint and seek clearance on allegations made When contacted Dayal who is now Maharashtrarsquos police chief refused to comment on the whole issue ldquoSince I have moved out of ACB it would not be appropriate on my part to talk about these mattersrdquo he told MiD DAY Confirming the report existing DG of ACB Raj Khilani said ldquoWe have already submitted out report to the governmentrdquo When asked the reason for such information being sought from ACB he added ldquoThere was too much hype in the media Also there are chances that the department lost these files in the recent fire at Mantralaya It could be anythingrdquo u00a0 73u00a0 Total no of cases against Class I and II officers awaiting prosecution sanction from govt u00a0 151 Total no of corruption cases yet to receive authorisation for prosecution from various authorities Look whorsquos on the waiting list Members of an NGO have approached ACB alleging that late chief minister and union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in connivance with former Collector Mumbai suburb CS Sangeetrao former Collector Mumbai suburb SS Zende former Principal Secretary Department of Revenue RC Joshi and former Principal Secretary Urban Development Department Ramanand Tiwari changed the reservation of two plots in Mumbai39s Bandra East in favour of two private societies housing some judges The complaint says several retired and sitting judges are members of these societies u00a0