Undue haste in FIR: Court clears all Maha Sadan scam accused

MUMBAI: In a detailed 68-page order discharging five accused, including a PWD engineer and the developer and his family in the Maharashtra Sadan scam case, the special ACB court observed that undue haste was made in lodging the FIR, and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officer's assessment of profit made by the developer and implied losses suffered by the state government, without taking assistance of an expert, was improper and illegal, reports Rebecca Samervel. The court said from the chargesheet and papers, it appeared most calculations have been made by the informant Narendra Talegaonkar, who was working as ACP in ACB, Mumbai division. "Neither, he is an Architect nor, Engineer. He is not an expert," special judge H S Satbhai said.
The case concerns a contract NCP's Chhagan Bhujbal allegedly gave firm K S Chamankar Enterprises without inviting tenders in 2005 when he was PWD minister. Today, Bhujbal is again cabinet minister in the MVA government. The ED conducted investigations against Bhujbal and others in a connected case that is pending before a special PMLA court.
The court said, "The investigating officer...(has) not verified the materials collected favouring to the accused. Only the materials favourable to the prosecution has (sic) been sent along with the chargesheet."