No clean chit to anyone in Rakesh Maria case, says CM Fadnavis

A day after Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria clarified his position on his meeting with former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made it clear that he hasn't softened his stand against the senior IPS officer. Without specifically naming Maria, he said he hasn't given anyone a clean chit in the controversy.

Also read: Rakesh Maria on his way out? 'Not as yet', says CM Fadnavis

Maria's report was submitted to the CM's office last night, when he was attending a function

As reported by mid-day yesterday, Maria had submitted his explanation to the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K P Bakshi on Monday, in which he has said that he had put his interaction with Modi on the record after returning from London last year.

He has also said that he had given directives to the local Anti-Extortion Cell to investigate into life threats received by Modi's family and told the then home minister R R Patil about the meeting (see box).

Ex-CM Prithviraj Chavan and the then Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Amitabh Rajan have, however, said that they had no knowledge about the meeting. Incidentally, Rajan was also in London for the conference which Maria had been invited to.

‘Yet to read it'
Asked about the issue yesterday, Fadnavis told mid-day that he would receive Maria's submission through Bakshi. "I haven't read Maria's submission yet. The ACS will forward it to me with his recommendations. I will take a call then." He said that he hasn't given anyone a clean chit in the matter. "Some people are saying that I have given (Maria) a clean chit. But, let me tell you, I haven't done so," said the CM.

When mid-day had asked Fadnavis on Monday whether Maria would be displaced anytime soon, he had said, "Not as yet." The CM had declined to elaborate, but sources close to him had said he was inclined to discipline the city's top cop, who had taken over the post in February last year.

CM gets report
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K P Bakshi forwarded city Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria's explanation to CM Devendra Fadnavis last night. Maria had given his report on the meeting with Lalit Modi to Bakshi on Monday, which was studied by the latter and submitted with his remarks to the CM.

Bakshi confirmed the submission but refused to divulge details. "I'm not authorised to say anything about this. I have studied procedures and rules and, based on those, submitted my remarks on the explanation," he told this paper, adding that Fadnavis would take a final call. Sources said the chief minister was attending a function when Bakshi's report was given to his office in a sealed envelope.