Mumbai, July 20: A special court today extended the custody of former MPSC chairman S D Karnik and two others, held for their alleged complicity in the multi-crore answer paper scam, even as the anti-corruption bureau complained that accused and their associates were threatening the witnesses. Karnik was further remanded to judicial custody till July 29 while Avinash Sanas, private secretary to social welfare minister of Maharashtra, and Atmaram Karge, MPSC canteen boy, were given police custody remand till July 27. Karnik is hospitalised and could not be produced while the other two were brought before special judge P N Deshmukh. Seeking judicial custody for Karnik, prosecutors R V Kini and S K Menon submitted that Karnik had not cooperated with investigations as he got himself admitted to hospital soon after his arrest on July 14.
Efforts were made to interrogate him in hospital but he complained of breathlessness and avoided the probe, they said adding that Karnik was not available to ACB even for an hour.
Alleging that hospitalisation was merely a trick on part of Karnik to exhaust police custody remand, prosecutors said they were therefore seeking judicial custody of the accused and would move the court for his police custody after he was discharged from hospital.
ACB said that there was ample evidence on record to show Karnik was the brain behind the alleged scam and disclosed that Income Tax and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence was conducting a parallel inquiry into investments made by Karnik.
Denying ACB allegations, Karnik's lawyer Satish Maneshinde urged for bail.
Bureau Report