‘Advisor to CM’ scribbled on fake pass, man walked into Maharashtra Assembly amid session

The men running this operation weren’t outsiders who had slipped through. They were government employees posted at the Vidhan Bhavan itself, including peons from the offices of the Labour Minister and the Minority Development Minister. Six people were arrested in total by Marine Drive police station.

The scam came to light on March 16, when Industries Minister Uday Samant told the Legislative Council that passes were being sold for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 and that fake letterheads had been prepared, flagging what he called a serious security breach. Police say they then conducted an internal inquiry, found prima facie proof, and the security officer filed an FIR.

In their bail pleas, the accused argued they had not been served notices before being arrested, as required by law. Police opposed the pleas, saying the probe had established that the accused prepared fake MIDC letterheads and distributed entry passes illegally.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate K S Zanwar rejected the pleas in an order dated April 9. “Being a public servant, accused Nos. 2 to 6 misused their power. They all have been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that safety and security are maintained in a place like Vidhan Bhavan. The alleged act on the part of all accused would definitely cause threat to the security of a sensitive place like Vidhan Bhavan,” he said.

The court noted that the investigation was incomplete and that certain absconding persons were yet to be arrested. At this stage, it said, bail could not be granted. The bail pleas of Dattatray Gunjal, Ganpat Jawle, Nagesh Patil, Manoj Morbale, Swapnil Tayade and Mahesh Dumplawar were rejected.