Magistrate`s inquiry gives clean chit to Kripashankar Singh

Mumbai: In a relief for former Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh, a magisterial inquiry into the allegations of property-grabbing and intimidation against him has given him a clean chit. Last November, the Bombay High Court had ordered the inquiry during the hearing of petition filed by Tulsidas Nair, a social worker.

The PIL alleged that Kripashankar and his son usurped Nair`s properties worth crores of rupees, and were threatening to kill him if he did not vacate his house in suburban Kalina. The magistrate submitted his report in January, the copies of which were given to all the parties today. According to the magistrate, Nair did not produce any record to prove that he was forced to sell his properties because of the alleged threats and "torture". "There is also no material to prove that respondent 6 (Singh) had instructed police officers to implicate the petitioner in false cases. The name of the respondent 6 appears to have been included in this petition after a PIL was filed by another person against the same respondent for disproportionate assets," the report states. The report also mentions that petitioner was in the habit of filing false cases, without proper documents. The division bench of Justices P V Hardas and A R Joshi has posted the matter for hearing after three weeks. PTI