'Falsely implicating me': After HC relief, Kirit Somaiya targets CM Uddhav Thackeray

Kirit Somaiya. File Pic

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray of being involved in an attempt to implicate him in a "false case."

The Bombay High Court earlier in the day granted interim protection from arrest to Somaiya in a case where he is accused of misappropriating funds collected to save the decommissioned aircraft carrier Vikrant from getting scrapped.

"For the first time, police have been used to file a false FIR without any documentary evidence," Somaiya claimed, speaking to reporters.

"Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was directly involved in falsely implicating me. I want to warn Uddhav Thackeray that I will not rest till the corrupt practices of his family members and close associates are unearthed, " he said.

The First Information Report registered against him was baseless, he claimed.

Asked about his whereabouts in the last few days, the BJP leader said, "One has to become non-reachable to do some homework."

The high court in its order held that the complaint against Somaiya was vague.

Justice Anuja Prabhudessai said in her order that in the event of arrest in the case, Somaiya be released on a personal bond of Rs 50,000. She also directed him to cooperate with the probe and report to the investigating officer for four days beginning from April 18.

The HC will hear Somaiya's pre-arrest bail plea further after two weeks on April 28.

An FIR was registered against the former MP and his son Neil Somaiya on April 6 at Trombay police station here following a complaint by an ex-Army person, who claimed that Kirit Somaiya had collected Rs 57 crore from the public in 2013 for the restoration of Vikrant.

The money was never put to use or deposited with the governor's office as per the initial plan, the complaint stated.

The HC noted that "prima facie, apart from the complaint that is so vague and based solely on media reports, there is no basis for the complaint" and "from 2013 to 2022, nothing is done, no complaint lodged."

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