PUNE, MAY 18: Three days after the Pune Municipal Corporation lodged an FIR against the chairman and members of PMC's school board, they have retaliated and filed a cross complaint claiming that they have been defamed by Municipal Commissioner Arun Bhatia and assistant commissioner M P Vaidya.The complaint signed by school board chairman Datta Ubhe and 12 members, also accused Bhatia and Vaidya of preparing false documents and misusing the powers.In their complaint Ubhe and other members of school board have demanded that action be taken against Bhatia and Vaidya as per the provisions made under sections 166, 167, 500, 501 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Official Secretes Act.The complaint said the then municipal commissioner Rajiv Agarwal had directed the assistant commissioner (General) and assistant commissioner (special) to inquire into the probe after some corporators alleged irregularities in uniform purchase during the PMC's general body meeting on January 25, 1999.It also said that the inquiry report which was submitted to Agarwal on March 15 had suggested verification of the quality of clothes by Mumbai based Betra Test House and National Textiles Laboratory. The Betra Test House and National Textiles Laboratory had submitted a report to the PMC on May 5 saying that the clothes were of proper quality, it added.However, the complaint alleged, Bhatia ordered Vaidya to carry out a separate inquiry into the matter after former mayor Shantilal Suratwala wrote him a letter on April 22.Under pressure from Bhatia, it went on to allege, Vaidya made a wrong scrutiny of the documents and filed a report on May 6. The municipal commissioner, the complaint stated, decided to lodge a criminal complaint against the school board members on the basis of Vaidya's report withouttabling it for PMC's general body's approval.PMC's education officer Y R Nikam had filed an FIR, accusing the school board members of conspiring to misappropriate public funds and cheating.
