The staggering embarrassment over his government providing protection to notorious bookie Anil Jaisinghani making headlines finally seemed to kick in with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. "If the police protection provided by the state is being misused against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) ahead of a raid, action will be taken and none will be spared," he said in a reply to a question on Sunday morning from the media in Kolhapur where he is on a visit.
dna was the first to front page a report (Feb 17, 2015) highlighting how international cricket bookie Jaisinghani – a suspect under ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit's scanner – was given armed police protection ahead of the World Cup. The decision had led to many raised eyebrows as the CM as opposition leader had torn into the erstwhile Cong-NCP government, on the assembly floor, over the protection given to a person arrested for betting multiple times under the Gambling and Telegraph Act.
After bedlam over Fadnavis pointing out how Jaisinghani's name showed up as a 'history-sheeter' on the Thane police website, then home minister RR Patil was forced to withdraw the protection in 2010. Incidentally, BJP's Ranjit Patil, who raised this issue as vocally in the legislative council, is the one who has signed the order as MoS Home (Urban). A visibly uncomfortable Fadnavis refused to comment on this aspect despite questions from the media at Kolhapur collectorate.
With the top cops of both Mumbai (CP Rakesh Maria, at whose behest the protection was given) and Thane (CP Parambir Singh, under whose jurisdiction Ulhasangar – where Jaisinghani stays – falls) away in the US and a red-faced Ranjit Patil avoiding the media, the CM's statement was expected to be a face-saver.
The opposition lost no time in attacking the government with leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde questioning how despite the CM's announcement, Jaisinghani's protection was yet to be withdrawn. "It is an irony that the police are giving protection to a person, who is an accused in their own records," he said and added, "I'd raised this issue in the assembly but the CM chose not to speak."
It will be recalled that the ED began swooping down on bookies in Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur as part of its hawala and money laundering probe against betting syndicates in connection with the latest IPL T20 cricket matches where this season alone as much as Rs 800 crore has been invested.
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