Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday
sought to know what Shiv Sena and its one-time member Narayan
Rane did following the N N Vohra Committee report on nexus
between politicians and organised crime syndicates.
"Was Shiv Sena aware of Vohra Committee report when it
came to power (in Maharashtra in 1995)? What did it do? We
want to know," said a Division Bench of Justices J N Patel and
Amjed Sayed.
The court`s query came during the hearing of a PIL
filed by a Shiv Sena worker, who wants Rane to name the
politicians who allegedly provided assistance to terrorists.
Rane, a former Sena CM now with Congress and currently
Revenue Minister, had said immediately after November 26
Mumbai carnage last year that he knew some politicians in the
state who provided monetary and logistical support to
terrorists.
The PIL by Solapur-based Purushottam Barde sought
inquiry into Rane`s statement. However, Rane`s reply last week
-- in an affidavit -- was that he was only referring to N N
Vohra Committee report, submitted in 1993, on criminalisation
of politics, and was not talking about any individuals.
Today, when hearing started, Justice Patel said to the
petitioner`s lawyer: "After Vohra report came, what did your
party (Shiv Sena) do? Whether you were able to identify these
people? We want to know what your government did when you were
in power (from 1995 to 1999)."
The report on politician-criminal nexus was prepared
by N N Vohra, a former Union Home Secretary.
The court said to petitioner`s lawyer: "You should ask
your leader what happened to Vohra report. You should have
resigned from party (Shiv Sena) if it had not acted on it."
"We want to know what Shiv Sena did after the
report...Shiv Sena is accountable to people."
Reminding that Rane was Maharashtra Chief Minister in
1999 when Sena (along with BJP) was in power, the court said,
"you (Sena) should have removed him from Chief Minister`s post
if he did not act on the report."
Not sparing Rane either, court asked his lawyers:
"When did your client first read the report? You were once the
Chief Minister. Did you come across the report then?"
"A very responsible politician brought the report to
people`s notice. After that he was elected, now let the people
know what happened to the report," Justice Patel said,
referring to Rane.
Adjourning hearing till November 26, incidentally the
first anniversary of 26/11, the court told government lawyer
to ask the Home Department whether any politician having nexus
with criminals has been identified.
Rane had talked about terrorists` links with
politicians at a press conference on December 6. However, he
had not specified whether he referred to terrorists who
attacked Mumbai on November 26.
Bureau Report
