The Hindu : SJP leader held in stamp paper scam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 01, 2003

Other States

Other States - Maharashtra

SJP leader held in stamp paper scam

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI June 30. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Maharashtra Police has arrested the Samajwadi Janata Party MLA, Anil Gote, under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for his involvement in the multi-crore stamp paper scam.

He was picked up on Sunday night in Pune where a special designated court remanded him to 15 days' police custody. He has been accused of having a close nexus with the main accused, Abdul Karim Telgi, and having received huge sums from the latter for his trust.

The scam, which cost the State exchequer crores of rupees, involved the printing of counterfeit stamp papers by a gang allegedly led by Telgi. So far 25 persons, including two policemen and some officers of the India Security Press, Nashik, have been arrested. Mr. Gote is the first politician to be arrested in the case.

His lawyer told the Designated Court that the arrest was due to "political vendetta". The Deputy Chief Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, who holds the home portfolio, told reporters here that there was no politics involved in the arrest.

He rejected the Opposition demand for handing over the case to the CBI. It was an inter-State scam, spreading to Karnataka, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Delhi and the State police had filed a chargesheet of 11,000 pages.

Mr. Bhujbal denied that Telgi had paid for the lodging and boarding of the ruling Democratic Front legislators during their stay in Bangalore last year at the time of no-confidence motion against the earlier Vilasrao Deshmukh Government. He said that the bill was paid by the local Congress Committee.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

Stories in this Section

SJP leader held in stamp paper scam