Fake stamps scam: High court defers Hazare plea

The Bombay High Court today deferred till July 23 hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by crusader Anna Hazare after the state sought time to file an affidavit in the fake stamps racket. The government assured the court that it would also file the report of Subodh Jaiswal Committee on its probe into allegations of corruption against those investigating the scam.

Advocate General Goolam Vahanvati stated before Chief Justice C.K. Thakker and Justice V.K. Tahilramani that the government would file the Jaiswal Committee report along with comments of DGP O.P. Bali on the investigations made by state and Action Taken Report within three weeks.

Hazare’s PIL sought a direction from the court to 13 respondents named in it, to implement the report submitted by the Jaiswal committee, and sought action against senior police officers indicted for dereliction of duty in investigating the scam.

Hazare alleged that the government took no action on the commission’s report despite its recommendations to take action against then Pune Police Commissioner R.S. Sharma, Assistant Commissioner of Police Mulani and Police Inspector Deshmukh.