Nearly two-and-a-half months after Pune city police filed a closure report in the phone-tapping case against Shukla, a court in Pune on Wednesday directed police to further investigate the matter on certain points.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, where the winter session of the Assembly is being held, Opposition leader Ajit Pawar of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said the Opposition had raised the issue of the court rejecting the closure report filed by the Pune police in the case against Shukla for allegedly ordering illegal phone tapping of political leaders between March 2016 and July 2018.
“The case involves a grave violation of the privacy of political leaders, not only of the Opposition parties but of the BJP as well. Hence, we demanded a discussion under Rule 57 of the house to discuss this issue. But our leaders were not allowed to speak and, hence, we have staged a walkout,” Pawar told reporters.
Earlier, speaking in the House, Pawar said since the court has “rejected the closure report”, the issue should be investigated thoroughly. “This House should know on whose order Rashmi Shukla was tapping phones. Who is the mastermind behind this episode? Who is trying to save her?” Pawar asked.
Shukla has been accused of illegally tapping the phones of some leading political leaders in Maharashtra when she was the Pune city police commissioner. She is currently on central deputation with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against Shukla at the Bundgarden police station in Pune on February 25 this year. In October, the Pune city police filed a closure report (C-summary) in this case.
Police sources confirmed that a court asked the police to investigate the case further on certain aspects and did not accept the closure report.
When allegations against Shukla were raised, a three-member committee, headed by then DGP Sanjay Pandey, was formed following then home minister Dilip Walse-Patil’s orders to investigate the matter. The other members of the committee were the commissioner of the State Intelligence Department (SID) and the additional commissioner of the special branch.
Based on the findings of the inquiry, assistant police inspector Vaishali Chandgude lodged the First Information Report (FIR) against Shukla at the Bundgarden police station in Pune on February 25 this year. In October, the Pune city police filed a closure report (C-summary) in this case.
Police sources confirmed that the court asked the police to investigate the case further on certain aspects and did not accept the closure report.
