Mumbai, Mar 23: The Supreme Court would hear an appeal filed by Maharashtra government tomorrow, challenging an order of Mumbai High Court granting bail to S D Karnik, former chairman of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) and accused in the multi-crore answer paper scam. On February 21, the apex court had come down heavily on the state government for the abrupt transfer of an investigating officer in the scam that rocked MPSC last year.
A bench headed by justice m b shah felt that sudden transfer of the official in the midst of investigations was uncalled for and ordered that he may be reinstated.
Sudhakar Poojari, assistant commissioner of police with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), was earlier transferred to the Solapur Police Training Institute after he made a statement before a special court that MPSC member Saili Joshi would be arrested in the scam.
ACB alleged that Karnik had purchased a flat in a posh locality in south Mumbai with the scam money. However, Karnik denied the charge and said he and his daughter, who is staying in the Gulf after her marriage, had jointly purchased it.
Nineteen accused have been arrested in connection with the scam of whom three have urged for bail in the high court. They are former MPSC chairman P D Wani, deputy superintendent of police Baban Kadam and computer expert Farooq Kadge.
The accused are facing the charge of substituting answer books of 399 students in the 1999 written examination held by MPSC for the posts of police sub-inspectors and Mantralaya assistants. Each of them was charged a hefty sum ranging from Rs three-five lakhs. Bureau Report