In a dramatic development just four days before her retirement on January 3, former Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla submitted a report to the state home department recommending the registration of a criminal offence against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey and two other police officers. The report alleges a conspiracy to arrest then opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis and then Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde during the tenure of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
The Core Allegations and SIT Probe
The controversy stems from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe initiated based on an issue raised in the state assembly by MLC Pravin Darekar. The SIT investigated allegations of a criminal conspiracy to implicate Fadnavis and Shinde in an old Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) certificates scam case. This scam involved builders who allegedly submitted bogus ULC certificates to avoid surrendering 5% of their excess land to the government.
During the MVA government's tenure, Thane police investigated businessman Sanjay Punamia, who was in a dispute with his partner Shyamsundar Agarwal, in connection with this scam. Punamia later alleged that he was pressured to give a statement against the two prominent BJP leaders, Fadnavis and Shinde.
Shukla's Recommendations and Specific Charges
After the SIT submitted its findings, Rashmi Shukla was asked to provide her legal opinion. In her report, she has suggested that the government file a First Information Report (FIR) against former DGP Sanjay Pandey, and police officers Laxmikant Patil and Sardar Patil. The recommended charges are severe and include:
- Criminal conspiracy
- A public servant disobeying the law
- Fabricating evidence
- Threatening a person to give a false statement
- Conspiring to implicate Fadnavis and Shinde in an old 2016 case registered in Thane.
Shukla's findings indicate that while Punamia was in custody in a separate 2021 Thane case, officer Laxmikant Patil interrogated him regarding the ULC scam and pressured him to falsely state that Devendra Fadnavis had extorted money from builders.
Key Incidents and Political Repercussions
The report details several key incidents. It states that on the instructions of then DGP Sanjay Pandey, Laxmikant Patil arranged an appointment for one Raju Shaha to submit an application in May 2021. This application became the basis for re-investigating the already chargesheeted 2016 Thane case, with the alleged intention of implicating the two leaders.
Furthermore, after Pandey became Mumbai Police Commissioner, he is alleged to have pressured a junior officer to file charges against Fadnavis in a case registered with the BKC cyber police. The report also highlights procedural lapses, noting that Laxmikant Patil used a government vehicle for visits to Mantralaya, Vidhan Bhavan, and other locations, but his drivers only vaguely logged "Mumbai" in the log book instead of the exact destinations.
The case has ignited strong political reactions. BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam claimed there "was an invisible hand which was none other than that of then CM Uddhav Thackeray" behind Pandey's alleged actions. Meanwhile, Sanjay Pandey, who spent five months in jail after retirement on separate money laundering charges, declined to comment on Shukla's latest report. A retired police officer quoted in the matter questioned the legal premise, stating there is no provision where a mere alleged intention to arrest, when no arrest was actually made, constitutes an offence.
