State ready for CBI probe: Bhujbal

The government’s announcement today came after the Opposition launched an attack on the ruling coalition over the issue. The deputy CM came in for special criticism with the Opposition holding him responsible for the irregularities in the probe and for the involvement of senior police officers in the scandal.

Opposition leaders Gopinath Munde and Eknath Khadse raised doubts on whether SIT would be able to handle the probe as the scandal had spread to several states.

Bhujbal also announced that the case involving another fake stamps racket allegedly run by Abhay Bansal alias Prasun Agarwal — in which stamps were seized by police in Nashik, Panvel and Navi Mumbai — would be handed over to the CBI.

With today’s decision, the focus again shifts to the Bombay High Court which had some time back decided against handing over the Telgi case to the CBI.

Following a public interest litigation filed by social activist Anna Hazare, the High Court had brought SIT’s functioning under its own supervision. It had also appointed retired IPS officer S.S. Puri as SIT head.