CBI files closure report in data leak case linked to Devendra Fadnavis

MUMBAI: The additional metropolitan magistrate is likely to pronounce its order on July 14 on the CBI's closure report in a case of leak of secret documents in which the police had recorded the statement of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis while he was opposition leader during the Maha Vikas Aghadi regime in Maharashtra.
The case pertains to Fadnavis's press conference of March 23, 2021 as leader of opposition. In that press conference, he had attacked the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray for not acting on a state intelligence department (SID) report indicating grant of police postings in exchange for money.
Fadnavis had read out the report of the then SID chief Rashmi Shukla written to the then state Director General of Police Subodh Jaiswal in the conference and had said that he would submit a copy of the report, which included a 6.3 GB call data intercept, by the evening to the Union home secretary for investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Earlier, the case was investigated by the Mumbai police, which had recorded the statement of DEvendra Fadnavis in March 2022. After change of government in the state, Fadnavis became the deputy chief minister, and the case was transferred to the CBI in July 2022 for investigation.
The CBI's special task branch on August 19, 2022 registered the case under Section 30 of the Indian Telegraph Act, Section 43 (B) and 66 of the Information Technology Act and Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act but was unable to reach a logical conclusion.
Initially, the case was registered by the cyber cell of Mumbai police and it was then transferred to the Colaba police station. SID officer Kayomerz Irani in his statement said that he suspected some unknown person had passed the letter of the SID chief to the DGP along with intercepted information to Fadnavis illegally and asked for investigating the leakage of the confidential details.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde with the help of BJP formed the government in the state in June last year. Fadnavis, in addition to being the deputy CM, holds the home portfolio.
Recently, the CBI submitted a closure report to the court, and the CBI case investigating officer Sanjay Kumar Dhall and Vivek Wangade of SID were also present in court.