Judicial probe report yet to be made public

It has been a year since the one-man judicial commission of retired Justice M G Gaikwad submitted the inquiry report on Maval firing. But the state government has failed to present the report before the Assembly. The 302-page report was submitted to Chief Secretary J Banthia by K D Patil,the secretary of the probe,on July 30,2012. It was expected to be tabled in the Assembly during the last budget or monsoon session.

Three farmers were killed in the police firing and Home Minister R R Patil had then announced a judicial probe. The commission had accepted 168 affidavits and examined 91 witnesses during the probe. The commission’s work was hampered by lack of proper infrastructure and it sought extension.

The failure of the state government to make the report public has been criticised by the Opposition MLAs,who claim the government is trying to hide its inadequacies and corruption.

BJP MLA Madhuri Misal said the report should be placed before the House immediately. “We had met the CM on this issue during the the ongoing Assembly session. When asked about the report,he said it would be placed before the House soon. But that did not happen,” she said.

Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe alleged the government had vested interests. “We had raised the issue of the report in both the March and the monsoon session of the Assembly,but the government had no answer for its failure to place it,” she said.