The Maharashtra government on Friday notified a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Mumbai joint commissioner Satyanarayan Choudhary to probe allegations about a conspiracy during the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to "frame" Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in a false case. In December, the state government had announced in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly its intent of setting up a committe after BJP MLC Pravin Darekar raised the issue in the Legislative Council alleging that a conspiracy was hatched to frame Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and then-minister Eknath Shinde in a false case during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. An FIR in the case had been registered by Thane police in August last year. An order was issued by the Maharashtra home department on Friday where an SIT has been formed under Choudhary, currently joint commissioner (law & order) in Mumbai. The SIT will include DIG SRPF Rajiv Jain, DCP (zone VI) Navnath Dhawale and ACP (Bandra division) Aadikrao Pol. The order mentioned that the SIT should also probe allegations that Deputy Commissioner of Police Laxmikant Patil was also a part of the conspiracy to frame the then Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and cabinet minister Eknath Shinde. After the Mahayuti government came to power in August last year, an FIR had been registered against former DGP Sanjay Pandey, ACP Sardar Patil, inspector Manohar Patil and others including advocate Shekhar Jagtap. It was alleged that they had pressured a Thane-based businessman to make allegations against Fadnavis and Shinde so that they could register an FIR against the duo and place them under arrest. The Thane police had recorded the statement of Pandey in connection with the case.
