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
