Probe against Maharashtra bureaucrat a farce, says Congress leader

Attacking the Maharashtra Government for reinstating bureaucrat Radheshyam Mopalwar, Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has said the probe conducted into the allegations against Mopalwar was a "farce".

"Right from day one, the government's intention was to give Mopalwar a clean chit. The Opposition was demanding a judicial probe whereas the government settled for an inquiry by a retired chief secretary," Vikhe Patil said in a statement.

Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil

He added that the speed with which Mopalwar was given a clean chit and reinstated as Managing Director of the Maharashtra State Road Deveopment Corporation (MSRDC) showed that the government wants to brush allegations of corruption in the Sammruddhi coridor project linking Mumbai and Nagpur under the carpet.

Mopalwar was reinstated on December 26. Mopalwar was sent on leave in August this year after audio tapes surfaced in which he was allegedly heard seeking a bribe. A probe committee under former Chief Secretary Johnny Joseph was set up which submitted a report that the audio tapes may have been tampered.

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Vikhe Patil said the probe against Housing MInister Prakash Mehta is being done through the Lok Ayukta while a retired chief secretary was asked to be allegations against Mopalwar. "Mopalwar's inquiry is completed in five months while a decision regarding a probe against former Minister Eknath Khadse is kept pending. This shows the Government's convenient stand against corruption," Vikhe Patil charged.