26 October,2010 09:35 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Taxpayers' money wasted as PMC-appointed prosecutor failed to attend court hearings, say RTI activists
The civic body has lost 102 criminal cases in the past five years because the prosecutor appointed by it, Manisha Idhate, did not attend hearings, say RTI activists.
Sudhir Kaka Kulkarni and Vivek Velankar, two RTI activists pursuing the issue, have also questioned Idhate's appointment by the Pune Municipal Commissioner (PMC).
"How can Idhate be appointed PMC senior legal adviser when there is no provision of direct recruitment for the post?" asked Kulkarni.
The RTI activists revealed that the amount of taxpayer money wasted on hearings not attended by Idhate stood at Rs 50 lakh. They also alleged that they were yet to get replies from the PMC to all the questions they want answered.
They said Idhate was busy hearing family court matters when she should be attending hearings for the PMC.
Inquiry panel
The battle between Nagri Hakka Samiti (NHS), a citizens' rights body of which Kulkarni is the president, and Idhate has now reached a dramatic turn with the Standing Committee recently appointing an inquiry committee under Additional Commissioner Machchindranath Devnikar to address the issue.
"The post of senior legal adviser was established in the municipal court in 1967 and Rs 1.03 crore is being spent every year on court matters by the civic body. It is all going waste," said Kulkarni. "It is equally absurd to spent Rs 6 lakh on Idhate's salary when she is not doing anything for the municipal court."
Kulkarni and Velankar also sent a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan seeking a remedy to the issue.
"If the PMC does not do anything about Idhate and her misdeeds, we will be forced to file a writ in the Bombay High Court," said Velankar. "Even Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Zagade is keeping mum on many questions we have asked."
