HC reserves order on PIL alleging links of cop with underworld

Arguments concluded before Justices A M Khanwilkar and K K Tated who said they were reserving the order on the petitions making allegations against Assistant Commissioner of Police Sudhakar Poojari.

Earlier, the Judges had summoned Additional Commissioner of Police Niket Kaushik to personally appear and assist the Court in informing whether an inquiry had been conducted against the officer for alleged underworld links and if yes then what was the outcome of the probe.

The Government said that no adverse inference had been drawn in the service records of Poojari. The State also informed that a complaint had been filed against the concerned officer in a special MCOCA Court. In this matter, charges had been filed and were yet to be framed.

This prompted the judges to remark that the matter was sub-judice and wondered whether this issue could be raised in a PIL before High Court. The Judges decided to hear arguments on the scope of PIL to raise this issue and asked both sides to make submissions.

Pujari, currently posted in Naigaon, has said that he is being targeted as he was the inquiry officer in Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examination scam in 2001.

One of the PILs has been filed by Avinash Sanas, former personal assistant to the then Minister of State for Home, Prabhakar More. The other was filed by National Amnesty and Redemption Organization International Trust, an NGO.

Sanas's petition alleged that Poojary arrested several persons in the MPSC scam without any evidence. Over 25 persons were arrested on charges of taking money for tampering with answer sheets.

Sanas had earlier filed a complaint with an MCOCA court, alleging that Poojary had underworld links. The court had asked the then Commissioner of Police A N Roy to conduct an inquiry and accord sanction for prosecution if Poojary was found on the wrong side of law. However, Roy had refused to give sanction.