Mumbai, June 11: Maharashtra government today
appointed senior IPS officer K P Raghuvanshi as the chief of
Anti-Terrorism Squad hours after the Bombay High Court pulled
up the authorities over the crucial body remaining headless
since the killing of Hemant Karkare in terror attacks here
last November.
The appointment of Raghuvanshi, at present Additional
Director General of Police, was announced by state Home
Minister Jayant Patil this evening.
Raghuvanshi was holding the additional charge of ATS so
far, in addition to his posting as Additional Director
General.
Earlier in the day, a division bench of Bombay High Court
Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice S C Dharmadhikari,
while hearing one of the several PILs filed on alleged
security lapses during November terror attacks, said "we are
sorry to note that head of ATS has not been appointed though
more than seven months have passed (after the terror attacks
in which Karkare was killed)".
"We are unable to appreciate this attitude," the court
said, directing that the post be filled within four weeks.
During the hearing on the petition by advocate V P
Patil, the judges asked public prosecutor Satish Borulkar
about newspaper reports that no senior IPS officer was willing
to take up the post of ATS chief.
Bureau Report
