Meanwhile, Parab, a senior leader of the Shiv Sena, said the complaint filed against him, the state transport commissioner and five other officers is baseless, politically motivated, and aimed at defaming the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government
Maharashtra minsiter Anil Parab. Pic: Ashish rane
Nashik Police Commissioner Deepak Pandey has ordered an inquiry into allegations of corruption in transfers and postings against Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab and six officers on the complaint of a suspended motor vehicle inspector of the Nashik Regional Transport Office (RTO), an official said on Saturday.
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In his complaint, the suspended officer Gajendra Patil has mentioned the corruption to the tune of multiple crores in transfers and postings in the RTO department, he said.
Meanwhile, Parab, a senior leader of the Shiv Sena, said the complaint filed against him, the state transport commissioner and five other officers is baseless, politically motivated, and aimed at defaming the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
The complaint was filed by Patil, who is posted at the Nashik RTO, via an email, sent to Panchvati police station in Nashik on May 16. He had also visited the police station on May 17, the official said.
In his complaint, Patil also alleged corruption at border checkposts; settlement of cases against some private operators and illegal registration of BS-4 vehicles, he said.
Patil has named state transport minister Anil Parab and six senior officers of the RTO for their alleged role in transfers and postings of RTO officials, he said.
Panchvati Police had called the complainant to record his statement and submit documents, but he was not cooperating in the probe, the official said.
"Considering the seriousness of the complaint, it was not justifiable to neglect it. Accordingly, Nashik Commissioner of Police Deepak Pandey issued orders for a
probe by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) on the complaint," he said.
Pandey has directed the DCP to submit the investigation report in the next five days, he said.
DCP Zone 1 and DCP Zone 2 will assist the DCP (crime) with the required manpower and other requirements, the official said quoting the CP's orders.
He said, if needed, the investigation team can take a few more days to complete the inquiry.
Last month, controversial Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, now sacked from service, had alleged in a letter he sought to submit before a court that in January 2021, Anil Parab asked him to look into an inquiry against "fraudulent" contractors listed in the Mumbai civic body and collect at least Rs 2 crore from about 50 such contractors.
Parab had rejected Waze's claims and said he was ready to face any probe into the allegations.
The Shiv Sena heads the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of which the NCP and the Congress are the two other constituents.
The state Home department is headed by the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP's) Dilip Walse Patil.
In a tweet, Parab said suspended officer Gajendra Patil has acted out of a grudge to malign the image of him (the minister) and the MVA government as he was suspended
following many complaints received from the state Transport department.
The minister also alleged a "conspiracy" behind the complaint.
He tweeted that the complaint filed against him, the transport commissioner and five other officers, at Panchvati police station was baseless, false, and politically motivated.
"The complaint is filed with a political motive as part of which (the complainant is) trying to project that the state government cannot do anything against such ministers and then demand an inquiry by the CBI through the high court," he tweeted.
"Nashik police is investigating the complaint and the truth will come out before the public," the minister said in another tweet.
Notably, senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh had resigned in April, days after former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray claiming that the then state home minister had set a monthly target to collect Rs 100 crore from bars and hotels in Mumbai to some police officers and moved the high court.
The HC then ordered a probe by the CBI which registered a case against Deshmukh and conducted searches atvarious places.
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