CBI searches IRB offices

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches across 21 locations and two cities on Monday with regard to a case against entities related to road developer

IRB Infrastructure. A CBI spokesperson said the searches were on the directions of the Bombay High Court, which ordered a case be registered against 13 entities under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. This is in connection with a land grab case filed by Right to Information (RTI) activist Satish Shetty against IRB chairman Virendra Mhaiskar. Shetty was found murdered at Talegaon near Pune in 2010.

While the CBI filed a closure report in the murder case, the Bombay High Court directed the agency to investigate charges of land grab by IRB Infra as well. The company had acquired around 1,100 acres of land near the Mumbai-Pune Expressway between 2007 and 2010. The land was acquired for real estate development purposes. In a notification to the BSE, IRB denied any wrong doing. "The company and its management have fully cooperated with the CBI and provided the necessary documents and have denied any wrong doing. We conduct our business in due compliance of law and maintain the highest standard of corporate governance and we have full faith in the due process of law and the Judiciary," it said.

A CBI spokesperson said a case has been registered on the directions of the Bombay High Court under "Sections 420, 467, 468, 469, 471 r/w Section 34 IPC against Deepak Dattatray Gadgil, authorised signatory Aryan Infrastructure (a subsidiary of IRB) and 12 others."