MUMBAI: Leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the appointment of retired high court judge K U Chandiwal to probe former city police chief Param Bir Singh’s allegations of corruption against home minister Anil Deshmukh was “an eyewash as the appointment has not been made under the Commission of Inquiry Act.”
“Chandiwal will not have powers under the Commission of Inquiry act, 1952. Without judicial powers, how will the judge probe the charges of corruption against Deshmukh? When I was the CM, our government had set up a one-man commission headed by Justice D S Zoting to investigate allegations of land grab against Eknath Khadse. Justice Zoting’s appointment was under the Commission of Inquiry Act,” Fadnavis said.
However, NCP spokesperson and skill development minister Nawab Malik said Fadnavis was “misleading” people over the appointment of Justice Zoting. “That notification was issued on June 23, 2016, while the notification about Chandiwal was issued on March 30, 2021. The wording of both is identical,” Malik said. Malik claimed nowhere in the Zoting notification was it stated Zoting had been appointed as per provisions of Commission of Inquiry Act. But a BJP leader said on November 10, 2016, a fresh notification was issued under Commission of InquiryAct.