The Maharashtra administration has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe an alleged plot by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government aimed at filing false criminal charges against prominent leaders Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde.
This SIT will be spearheaded by Satyanarayan Chaudhary, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) for Mumbai, as stated in a Government Resolution released by the state’s Home department.
This move comes in response to assertions made by BJP’s Pravin Darekar during the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislative Council in December 2024, where he contended that there was a calculated effort to frame the Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader.
Pravin Darekar further claimed that he holds evidence, including audio recordings, substantiating his allegations. The establishment of the SIT is intended to comprehensively investigate these claims and ensure accountability.
The four-member SIT consists of seasoned officers, including Rajiv Jain from the State Reserve Police Force and Navnath Dhavle from the Mumbai Police, with an instruction to complete their investigation within 30 days.
Devendra Fadnavis, who has recently resumed his role as Chief Minister after leading the Mahayuti coalition to success in the November elections, served as the Leader of Opposition during the MVA’s governance from November 2019 to June 2022. Eknath Shinde, currently the Deputy Chief Minister, was previously a member of the Uddhav Thackeray-led cabinet before staging a rebellion and aligning with the BJP.
What Did Pravin Darekar Accuse the Thackeray-led MVA Of?
Referring to sting operation footage broadcasted by various TV stations, Darekar stated, “The footage reveals a deputy police commissioner coercing a citizen into providing false statements to incriminate the then leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis,” Darekar remarked.
The BJP leader also cited another video in which assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Sardar Patil was heard discussing the reopening of an old case. “ACP Patil explicitly mentions that the true targets of the case are Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, the then urban development minister,” Hindustan Times reported Darekar’s comments.
Instructions to orchestrate this scheme were purportedly issued at the governmental level, filtering down to senior police officials like Patil, as alleged by Darekar. “An SIT inquiry will uncover who masterminded this conspiracy and who was pulling the strings from behind the scenes,” he claimed.
