Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today asked
Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Government to file an affidavit
by tomorrow in response to a petition which alleged that the
Government had dereserved a plot of land in posh area near
Juhu meant for police housing and sold it to a private
developer.
On August 23, the Court had asked the Chief Secretary to
file reply by today. However, Public Prosecutor Pandurang Pol
told the court that he did not have a copy of the petition or
the earlier court order and hence no specific information had
been given to the Chief Secretary in this regard.
Justice B H Marlapalle and Justice Amjad Sayeed, however,
warned that if the Chief Secretary did not file the affidavit
by tomorrow then the court would pass a blanket order on all
such dereservations in the state.
The petition, filed by former scribe Ketan Tirodkar, was
based on an RTI reply received from the office of Mumbai
Police Commissioner which said that plot 194 A at Juhu Vile
Parle Development Scheme, reserved for police quarters, had
been dereserved by the State and alloted to Akruti builders.
The petition further alleged that two 11-storeyed towers
now stood on this plot of land. It argued that dereservation
should not have taken place particularly in view of the fact
that there is shortage of quarters for policemen.
Tirodkar alleged that this case was a tip of iceberg and
there were many such cases in which land meant for gardens or
police housing had been dereserved and sold to developers.
The petition prayed that Government officers and
politicians responsible for making such dereservations should
be booked under IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.
PTI
