Check Pandey files: CP

MUMBAI, May 15: After his unceremonious transfer from Economic Offences Wing, Mumbai, to police Training school Jalna, controversial DCP Sa...

MUMBAI, May 15: After his unceremonious transfer from Economic Offences Wing, Mumbai, to police Training school Jalna, controversial DCP Sanjay Pande is now under fire from another quarter: Two joint commissioners of police – R S Sharma and Charan Singh Azad – are scrutinising files of controversial cases handled by Pandey during his tenure in the EOW of the Crime Branch.

Police Commissioner Subhash Malhotra today confirmed that he had asked Sharma to scrutinise files related to the Abhyudaya Cooperative Bank and Dadar Janata Cooperative Bank in view of Pandey’s controversial remarks on them. Speaking to Express Newsline, Malhotra said the two files carried a remark by Pandey that he was unable to arrest the main accused because of pressure from Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde.

Azad has been asked to investigate a complaint filed by a deputy collector alleging that he was assaulted by Pandey. Both Sharma and Azad are investigating independently.

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“As per official records, Pandey made these remarks on May 5, while an assistant commissioner of police signed these files on May 10, after Pandey handed over the charge to DCP Hemant Karkare,” Malhotra said. He said he had asked Sharma to find out if Pandey had signed the files on May 5 before he was transferred or otherwise. And if he signed the files on May 5, then why it took him five days to send them to the assistant commissioner, who sits in the adjacent chamber, he asked.

The CP minced no words to hide his disapproval.“If I find that Pandey has played a mischief, I will have to refer the case for appropriate disciplinary action…he had no right to handle the file after handing over the charge,” Malhotra added.

Replying to a question, Malhotra said he was surprised by Pandey’s decision to mark the file to his subordinate. “If he had a complaint against any minister, he should have marked the file to R S Sharma, joint commissioner ofpolice (crime), who is his immediate superior,” he added.

Malhotra made it clear that at no stage, neither Chief Minister Manohar Joshi nor Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde sought the files of either the Abhyudaya Bank or Dadar Cooperative Bank scams. However, it was well within their constitutional right to seek information and give direction on investigations in any of the cases, he said.

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When asked as to why the police did not arrest legislator Sitaram Ghandhat, who is also the chairman of the Abhyudaya Cooperative Bank, Malhotra said it was Pandey’s responsibility as he was granted permission to arrest the main accused involved in the case. However, Malhotra said he has different views on custodial interrogation of people involved in economic offences. “In economic offences, the entire information is based on official records and documents and as such there is no need to arrest the accused. The practice is to arrest them only after a chargesheet is filed against them,” Malhotra said. He stressed that Pandey’s transfer was routine and there was no politics involved in it. Datta Padsalgikar today took charge in place of Sanjay Pande at the EOW. Padsalgikar was holding charge as DCP (Crime) after the death of Deepak Jog last year.