High Court gives ACB more time to probe gavit case

Allowing the anti-corruption bureau’s (ACB) application seeking more time to complete its ‘open inquiry’ against former Maharashtra minister Vijaykumar Gavit, the Bombay high court granted two months time to file an inquiry report in a disproportionate assets case.

A division bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Anil K. Menon was hearing a public interest litigation filed by social activist V.R. Musale seeking the prosecution of Mr Gavit and his family members. The bench asked the ACB to file its report by March 20 and posted the matter for further hearing on March 24.

When the matter came up for hearing, the ACB asked for two months time to complete the open inquiry against

Mr Gavit and his family. Though, advocate Uday Warunjikar, on behalf of the petitioner, objected to the request and said that enough time had already been given to investigating agency, the judges, however, accepted the ACB’s application and granted it two months time to complete its inquiry.

Similarly, the Income Tax (I-T) department was also supposed to file a status report on its inquiry about the minister but its lawyer did not appear and the court said this department should also file its report on the next date.

The I-T department has reopened the assessment of incomes and assets of Mr Gavit, his wife and brother from 2007-08.