No calls between Khadse and Dawood, says ATS

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra Police on Monday told the Bombay High Court that former minister Eknath Khadse did not exchange calls with Pakistan-based mafia don Dawood Ibrahim.

The preliminary inquiry report has come as a major relief to the senior BJP leader, who was forced to resign over corruption charges from the BJP-Shiv Sena government.

The Maharashtra-ATS has given the report to a division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice N H Patil and P D Naik following a PIL by ethical hacker Manish Bhangale, who had demanded a CBI probe into the Khadse-Dawood links. 

“The ATS conducted a preliminary inquiry. No terrorist angle has been found as alleged by the hacker. No calls were exchanged between (the then minister) Eknath Khadse and underworld don Dawood,” ATS counsel Niteen Pradhan said.

“I said this earlier... now the truth has come out before the people,” Khadse said reacting to the clean chit by the ATS.

Incidentally, this came on the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislature, during which the Opposition Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party targeted the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis on the issue of corruption. 

On Bhangale’s petition, the court said we cannot go to the CBI every time. “We have to trust and have faith in the state machinery also. If, at a later stage, the petitioner feels the probe is not being conducted properly, he can approach the high court again,” the court said and asked Bhangale to appear before the Crime Branch to provide further information if he desires. On Bhangale’s apprehension that there is a threat to his life, the court said he can file a representation before the Mumbai police commissioner who shall decide the matter based on its merits.