New Delhi, Nov 28: Accusing the Centre of waking up late in the multi-crore fake stamp paper case, Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today asserted that none of his ministers were involved but said if anybody was guilty, he would not be spared. A day after the indicted police official R S Sharma claimed that some ministers' names had figured in investigations revealing links with the prime accused, Shinde told reporters here that the special investigating team (SIT) was going into the matter and the Mumbai High Court had reposed confidence in the investigation.

The Chief Minister said no minister in his government figured in the scam. Whosoever was found guilty would be sternly dealt with. "There will be no effort to shield anybody," he said. Stating that the scandal was going on for almost nine to ten years from the time when the Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power, Shinde said the Centre "woke up" to the scam only two months ago.

"The government should have taken cognisance in 2001 and ordered a CBI probe," he said.

Bureau Report