Retired Bureaucrat and former commissioner of Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority, RA Rajeev has said that the petition filed by Thane Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik against him in Bombay High Court is a ‘malafide’.
Rajeev has filed an affidavit in reply through his advocate Ishwar Nankani and said that Sarnaik’s petition seeking action against him for corruption charges was only a “counter-blast” to the actions taken by him against the MLA’s various business establishments when he was Thane municipal commissioner.
The 1987 batch of IAS officer from Maharashtra cadre, Rajeev was Thane Municipal Commissioner and was credited for doing many developmental works there. During the course of his work, an action taken by him, had rubbed Sarnaik the wrong way and since then they had been at loggerheads. It was reported that Sarnaik had used all his power as MLA and Assembly to corner Rajeev and had even tried to bring a privilege motion against him.
Sarnaik’s allegation against Rajeev in this petition before the Bombay High Court is that when he was Thane Municipal Commissioner he had ordered the interior decoration of his office and adjoining offices and this according to Sarnaik came under the preview of corruption. He had sought sanction from the government to prosecute Rajeev.
However, during the hearing on Thursday, the bench of Justices PB Varale and Kishore Sant asked the lawyers about the status of the case.
Advocates Shirish Gupte and Nankani told the court that “No crime was registered only enquiry was done. The bench then said, “Normally sanction would come after registration of the FIR.”
The bench was also of the view that the plea filed by Sarnaik had “lost its efficacy” and “nothing remains now” as Rajeev had retired. However, the advocate representing Sarnaik and government pleader Prajakta Shinde sought time to go through the reply that was handed over to them in court.
The court will be further hearing the plea on October 13.
Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/law/story/ex-ias-bombay-high-court-plea-thane-mla-malafide-2006517-2022-09-30
