Dyaneshwar Gawade
A bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka of the Bombay High Court ordered to the state government to appoint a senior officer to probe assets of former Medical Education Minister Vijaykumar Gavit, his wife Kumudini and brother Sharad in a disproportionate assets case. During the hearing earlier, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had informed that it had found prima facie substance against the minister and his relatives.
A social worker V R Musale has filed PIL seeking prosecution of Gavit and his family. High Court was hearing on the PIL. On Friday High Court ordered the Maharashtra government to appoint a senior officer from the ACB to supervise the probe against Gavit.
Meanwhile, Income Tax (I-T) department submitted a letter written by ACB Dhule wing wherein it was stated that Gavit had shown an income of Rs 44,250 in 2007-08, Rs 71,053 in 2008-09, Rs 73,592 + Rs 38830 (agriculture) in 2009-10, Rs 80,300 in 2010-11, Rs 77,500 + Rs 1,90,180 (agr) in 2011-12, Rs 1,32,100 + Rs 2,86,230 (agr) in 2012-13 and Rs 1,27,740 + Rs 3,82,570 AY 2013-14.
The Home Ministry had given nod to ACB to hold an open inquiry.
The court had earlier asked the former minister to file an affidavit, declaring sources of income from which he purchased properties by paying cash as alleged in the PIL. Gavit, a senior NCP leader, was sacked from the Maharashtra cabinet after his daughter Heena got a Lok Sabha ticket from BJP to contest from Nandurbar seat.