The Maharashtra Government on Thursday announced appointment of retired Bombay High Court judge Dinkar Zoting to look into allegations of irregularities against former Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse in the purchase of land near Pune.
“The government was considering appointment of a retired HC judge in view of news reports about the ‘alleged irregularities’ in the land transaction,” a GR said. Accordingly, Zoting has been appointed, it said.
The enquiry will ascertain if the land was acquired by MIDC and whether the land was eligible to be transferred or sold as per Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) norms, it said. The enquiry will have to be completed in three months, the GR said.
While appointing retired High Court judge Dinkar Zoting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided against including other accusations levelled against Khadse.
Mr. Zoting retired as a Bombay High Court judge in 2006. Khadse, the senior-most Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, had to resign earlier this month over the controversial deal wherein he had purchased a three-acre plot at Bhosri, believed to be owned by MIDC in the name of his relative for Rs. 3.75 crore as against the market price of Rs. 40 crore.
Three days ago, CM Devendra Fadnavis had announced that a judicial committee of a retired Bombay High Court judge will look into the purchase of the MIDC land.
The 64-year-old veteran BJP leader had been facing a series of allegations including irregularities in a land deal in Pune and of getting calls allegedly from fugitive Dawood Ibrahim’s residence in Karachi on his mobile phone besides the alleged bribe sought by a personal aide.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters in Bhusawal, Jalgaon district, Khadse claimed the charges against him were “baseless”. “A fortnight before I resigned, I had called for a probe into these allegations,” he said. In an apparent reference to former Aam Aadmi Party leader Anjali Damania, he said the “woman who was going against me was doing so for cheap publicity”. “I had challenged her to show proof against me in any of the cases, but the woman could not submit any,” the former minister claimed. On June 2 (two days prior to Khadse’s resignation), Damania went on a hunger strike in Mumbai demanding his ouster from the Maharashtra Cabinet. —PTI
