Rashmi Shukla, the state’s former intelligence chief, has filed a special leave petition with the Supreme Court, challenging the Bombay high court’s recent rejection of quashing her petition in the phone tapping case.
Shukla claimed in her petition to the Supreme Court that the current case was an attempt by the Maha Aghadi government led by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra to “derail and thwart the investigation” in the FIR pending before the CBI, in which “certain unscrupulous elements of state have indulged in high-ended corruption in relation to transfer of police officers”.
The IPS officer’s special leave petition (SLP) stated that the state filed a case under the IT Act and invoked the Official Secrets Act, 1923, “with an ulterior motive to ensure that the petitioner (Shukla) does not cooperate with the (CBI )and abandoned her own report”.
The SPL added: “Such was the tearing hurry to remove the petitioner and make her irrelevant within the state of Maharashtra, that she was transferred to the post which did not even exist at that point of time. When she raised the issue with the then home minister of the state of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh, it was clearly stated to her by … Deshmukh that it is a case of political vendetta.”
According to the SLP seeking permission to appeal the HC dismissal, “despite punishment posting and the arbitrary treatment meted out to her, she made several requests for cabinet approval and issuance of GP for creation of the post of DG – civil defence”. Singh then wrote to the CM, SLP added, “flagging the issue of corruption.”
Bombay HC rejects petition filed by IPS Rashmi Shukla
The IPS officer had approached the apex court after a division bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and Sarang Kotwal of the Bombay High Court recently rejected a petition filed by Shukla seeking to quash the FIR registered by the Mumbai police and to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is already probing allegations against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh.
The Bombay HC bench had given the order on December 15 on the petition filed by Shukla.
In October this year, the Maharashtra government submitted before the HC that while Shukla was not listed as an accused in the case, there is enough evidence against her to proceed with the probe.
Shukla claimed in her plea that she was being used as a scapegoat and that the Maharashtra government was targeting her for presenting a report on alleged corruption in police transfers and postings.
Shukla’s counsel Mahesh Jethmalani had informed the court that when she was heading the state intelligence department, she was directed by the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) to conduct surveillance of a few phone numbers. She had said that with the permission of “competent authority”, telephones of certain politicians and police officers were kept under surveillance and in Aug 2020, she submitted a detailed report to the then director-general of police S Jaiswal (now CBI chief) and sought action
However, in March, Sitaram Kunte, the Chief Secretary of the Maharashtra Government submitted a report, recommending strict action against senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla for tapping the phones of politicians illegally.
Rashmi Shukla, Commissioner of Intelligence Department, her letter and her suspicious of nexus between politicians and the police in transfer scam
In August 2020, Rashmi Shukla, Commissioner at the State Intelligence Department, had written a letter to Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, Director General of Police, informing him of the alleged transfer racket.
Rashmi Shukla emphasises that the matter should be brought before the attention of CM Uddhav Thackeray as it would severely undermine the credibility of the ruling dispensation. A day later, DHP Jaiswal acknowledges the receipt of the letter. He too recommended that the matter be brought before Uddhav Thackeray and a comprehensive enquiry into the allegations.
Devendra Fadnavis makes explosive revelation, claims Uddhav Thackeray overlooked police transfer posting racket in state
During a press conference on March 23, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis alleged that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chose not to act on a report exposing a racket related to the transfer of police officials which was bought to his notice. He further said that CM Thackeray decided to keep mum just to save his government.
