SIT formed to probe alleged ‘conspiracy’ to arrest Fadnavis, Shinde during MVA government

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Maharashtra government on Friday (January 31, 2025) formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of four senior police officers to probe the allegations of a ‘conspiracy’ during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to file false cases against current Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and put them behind bars.

The SIT has been formed a month and a half after the government announced it on the demand of senior BJP leader Pravin Darekar, who had raised the issue on the floor of the House during the winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly.

“This is regarding the conspiracy to trap both of them in false cases. I had brought this up through Point of Information in the House. The government had promised a SIT at that time. This pertains to a case in Thane,” Mr. Darekar told The Hindu.

Probing allegations

The government resolution issued on Friday said: “Government approval is given to establish the vacant ‘SIT’ under the chairmanship of Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police Satyanarayan Chaudhary. The following officers have been appointed in the SIT: Rajiv Jain, DIG, SRPF, Mumbai; Navnath Dhawle, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 6, Mumbai; and Adikrao Pol, Assistant Police Commissioner, Mumbai.”

The SIT’s mandate is to look into the complaints against a probe carried out by DCP Laxmikant Patil. The legislator who raised the issue in the House has been given 30 days to furnish additional information in front of the SIT. The SIT has also been asked to give recommendations about the action to be taken against the officer after the probe. The order says the probe should be conducted “immediately”, though the SIT has not been given any stipulated time-frame to complete its work.

Sting operation

Mr. Darekar displayed a pen drive in the Maharashtra Assembly on December 17, claiming that it contained evidence of the MVA government’s alleged conspiracy. He claimed that the pen drive contains video of a sting operation and an audio clip of a conversation between senior police officials about it.

“The footage shows a deputy police commissioner pressurising a citizen to give false statements to implicate Devendraji. In another video, ACP Patil is seen speaking to someone regarding reopening an old case. ACP Patil clearly states that the real targets of the case are Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, the then-Urban Development Minister,” Mr. Darekar said in December.

Mr. Darekar had made four demands: the formation of a SIT; the suspension of DCP Laxmikant Patil; the removal of public prosecutor Shekhar Jagtap from the government panel; and a case to be booked against former director general of police and Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey. The government had immediately announced that a SIT would be formed.

Reacting to the formation of the SIT, Shiv Sena UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey told The Hindu: “The party which openly misuses Central agencies has now formed a SIT. There is no reason to be surprised. We haven’t done anything wrong.”