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The move comes after months of political debate surrounding the alleged misuse of power during the tenure of the MVA, a coalition of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (Sharad Pawar)
(From left) Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray. (PTI File)
The Maharashtra government has constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe an alleged conspiracy to falsely implicate Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde in fabricated criminal cases during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The state home department issued an official government resolution (GR) on Friday, confirming the formation of the SIT.
The move comes after months of political debate surrounding the alleged misuse of power during the tenure of the MVA, a coalition of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (Sharad Pawar). The MVA was formed after Uddhav Thackeray broke off the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the CM post. While BJP’s Fadnavis was then in the opposition, Shinde was a minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led cabinet.
Fadnavis is now the CM, with Shinde as his deputy.
THE SIT
The SIT will be headed by Mumbai Police joint commissioner (law and order) Satyanarayan Chaudhary, with other key members including Rajiv Jain, deputy inspector general of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) in Mumbai; deputy commissioner of police Navnath Dhawale; and assistant commissioner of police Adikrao Pol. The team has been mandated to conduct an exhaustive investigation into the allegations, review all related complaints, and submit their findings with recommendations to the state government.
The Mumbai Police commissioner has been assigned the responsibility of providing the SIT with all necessary resources, including manpower and technical support, to ensure a fair and unbiased probe.
ASSEMBLY UPROAR
The alleged conspiracy first came to light during the winter session of the Maharashtra assembly held in Nagpur last December. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and MLA Pravin Darekar raised the issue, claiming there was a deliberate attempt to frame Fadnavis and Shinde in false cases with the involvement of certain police officials under political pressure from the then MVA government.
The matter sparked heated discussions in the assembly, with the BJP accusing the previous government of working on political vendetta. Following mounting pressure from the opposition, the current government, led by Fadnavis, assured the assembly that a thorough investigation would be conducted, leading to the formation of this SIT.
The SIT will specifically investigate the nature of the alleged conspiracy, including whether there was an organised effort to misuse the police force for political gains. They will examine the roles played by specific officials, the chain of command, and any documented evidence or communications that could shed light on the conspiracy claims. Additionally, the SIT has been directed to consider statements made by legislators during the assembly debates as part of their investigation. MLAs who wish to provide additional evidence or raise further concerns related to the case have been given a 30-day window to do so.
The fall of the MVA government and the formation of the then BJP-Shinde alliance government was marked by high political drama, including allegations of betrayal and backdoor dealings. This development has added another layer of complexity to Maharashtra’s already turbulent political landscape, where power dynamics have shifted dramatically in recent years.
