HC to hear PIL on Eknath Khadse's link with Dawood Ibrahim on June 6

The Bombay High Court yesterday admitted a petition filed by a Gujarat-based ethical hacker, alleging that Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse was in touch with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Eknath Khadse and Dawood Ibrahim

The petition filed by Manish Liladhar Bhangale of Mehsana, Gujarat, has been posted for hearing on June 6.

Bhangale, who filed the petition on Sunday, claimed that he had hacked into the data of Pakistan Telecom-munications Company Limited and found that Dawood Ibrahim, India's most wanted gangster, stays in Cliffton House in Karachi and uses a landline phone in the name of Mehjabeen Sheikh. He alleged that the call records from Dawood's Karachi residence show that he was in frequent touch with a specific mobile number registered in Khadse's name.

Quick clean chit
Bhangale has demanded security for himself and a CBI probe into the matter. He claimed that the Mumbai crime branch, Joint Commissioner of Police Atulchandra Kulkarni, Mumbai Commissioner of Police Datta Padsalgikar and Jalgaon SP have given a clean chit in a hurry to Khadse. In his petition, Bhangale alleged that the Mumbai Police has strong electronic evidence against the minister. On May 22, the Mumbai Police had said that no calls were made or received on Khadse's phone from the said number.

The petition has made Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the CBI as the respondents. The Mumbai crime branch has questioned Bhangale twice over the allegation.

Plea to PM
Bhangale has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his ‘expose' could help nab Dawood. He claimed that he has call logs of Dawood, including those of frequent callers.

Advocate Aparna Vhatkar appeared for Bhangale before Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice BC Collabawalla.