June 30: Police Commissioner of Mumbai today assured the Bombay High Court that the chargesheet in the shoe scam will be filed in the coming fortnight.The division bench of Chief Justice M B Shah and Justice Ranjana Desai said they were ``satisfied with the personal assurance of the CP's counsel P R Namjoshi'' and adjourned the matter for the next three weeks.Namjoshi denied any lapses in investigation. He also refused any `able assistance' from a new officer. ``Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Pandey was a competent officer. But, his follower Dattatray Padsalgikar is also a good officer. I do not see any hitch in the scam inquiry due to Pandey's transfer,'' he said.The CJ said he appreciated Namjoshi's efforts to expedite the inquiry, suggesting that assistance from a competent officer will further expedite the inquiry. However, Namjoshi declined the offer.Namjoshi's assurance came in the wake of the writ petition filed by a non-governmental organisation, Asmita Jyoti. The organisation claimed that Pandey's transfer was ``politically motivated by the bigwigs involved in the shoe scam''. During the last hearing, the state government was asked to file a detailed affidavit explaining why and how Pandey was transferred. The affidavit was filed today which stated that Pandey's transfer was ``routine'' and unbiased.The organisation filed the petition in January asking for an assessment of the monetary loss to each agency of the government due to the shoe scam. in April, they filed a notice of motion expressing the likelihood of Pandey's transfer. The government pleader had said there was no such move. The CJ also had assured the petitioners that if such a transfer takes place, they can ask for immediate relief. Therefore, the petitioners again came to the court when Pandey was transferred. They said Pandey was relieved by the Director of General of Police on April 10, where as he was already asked to leave the earlier day. This shows the transfer was a premeditated plan, they argued.Petitioner's advocate Sona Pardasani and Pradeep Bhavnoor today argued that a new officer, although equally competent, takes time to comprehend the intricacies of the scam. Therefore, Pandey's continuation is the need of the hour.`Forum for Justice' president Madhav Deshpande, an intervenor in this petition, today argued that Pandey's abrupt transfer indicated the biased nature of the shoe scam inquiry. ``Not only Pandey, but also his followers are bound to meet the same fate of abrupt and ad hoc transfers. It is therefore advisable to hand over the case to Central Bureau of Investigation.'' He also said that despite assurances, the state government agencies have not assessed the loss caused due to the show scam.Additional Solicitor General Rafique Dada, representing the CBI, central excise and customs, said these agencies were trying to overcome the lack of communication between themselves. ``We are also trying to develop further communication with the local police. We will surely overcome our limitations.''
