Devendra Fadnavis alleges conspiracy to frame BJP leaders

Devendra Fadnavis has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the matter. File pic/Suresh Karkera

In a sensational revelation, the Opposition leader in the Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, produced in the house, video recordings of a special public prosecutor, police officials and some politicians associated with the ruling parties, discussing how to lodge false criminal cases against him and his party colleagues.

Fadnavis was making an opening statement on a motion the opposition moved on Tuesday to debate ‘deteriorating' law and order in the state. He demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the matter.

He also reiterated the demand for senior Cabinet minister Nawab Malik's resignation for dealing financially with the family of the underworld don and the country's most wanted terrorist, Dawood Ibrahim.

The ex-CM said he had 125 hours of video recordings of Special Public Prosecutor (SSP) Adv Pravin Pandit Chavan tutoring the police officials, complainants and politicians on framing his party colleagues. He said ex-ministers Girish Mahajan, Jaikumar Rawal, Sanjay Kute, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrakant Patil, Subhash Deshmukh and Chandrashekhar Bawakule's names were discussed in the video footage.

‘Case was cooked up'

He said the case against Mahajan and his PA Rameshwar was cooked up. "The evidence like a knife and blood on it, photos, etc. was planted as suggested and planned by Chavan. They also tried to make up a MCOCA case against Mahajan by discussing planting of drugs," he added. The date of the alleged kidnapping of a member of Maratha Vidya Prasarak Mandal was also mentioned, but it was changed to "a particular week" after realising that Mahajan was not in Pune "on the date mentioned in the FIR."

According to the transcript (of the videos) Fadnavis read out,Chavan talked about a certain ‘bade saheb', Mahajan's local political rival and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister-turned-Nationalist Congress leader Eknath Khadse, former home minister Anil Deshmukh and his successor Dilip Walse Patil, deputy CM Ajit Pawar, water resources minister Jayant Patil, civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, ex-MLA Anil Gote, former and current chiefs of the Mumbai police, the police officers of the rank of deputy and assistant police commissioners in the case filed against Mahajan. However, the transcript does not suggest that all persons mentioned in it supported Chavan and others.

Majahan said outside the house that the ‘bade saheb' the SPP mentioned on several occasions, was NCP chief Sharad Pawar. He said the videos should be sent to all forensic laboratories in the country for verification. "I am ready to undergo a Narco test. Let others also undergo the same. Take action after verification. But only the CBI should probe."

Fadnavis said Mahajan was given relief by the court because it realised that the case was not what it was made to be. He further read that the SPP boasted about writing the FIR on behalf of the police and tutoring witnesses, choosing the panch for panchnama and micro-planning the raid. He said the videos have dialogues between the SPP, DCP and ACP.

‘Plans to trap Fadnavis'

The transcript further quotes Chavan as claiming to be ready to frame Fadnavis in the CM's Relief Fund complaint which he proposes to get filed in Solapur (rural) and other party colleagues, as wished by ‘bade saheb' who wants to finish these leaders anyhow. He is quoted as saying that there is a person in Mumbai who can manage the judiciary.

Fadnavis said he would move the court if his demand for a CBI inquiry was not met. "Who will investigate here? The police themselves are involved and the government itself is part of the conspiracy. We will fight it out till the end," he said. Walse Patil refused to comment on the allegations. "I haven't seen the videos yet," he told media persons. The home minister will reply to the opposition's motion on Wednesday.