The Bombay High Court yesterday refused to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a CBI inquiry against Maharashtra minister Sunil Tatkare and his family members for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to the known sources of income, saying that the petitioner should first try the alternative remedies.
The division bench of Justices S A Bobade and Mridula Bhatkar asked petitioner Rajendra Phanse, general secretary of Thane-based political party `Dharmarajya Paksha’, to inform on the next date of hearing (July 2) what alternative remedy he would like to adopt. The bench observed that petitioner had options such as approaching an investigating agency or the government over the allegations, before moving the High Court. Phanse alleges that Tatkare’s family members have acquired several properties in Raigad district during his tenure as cabinet minister. Tatkare’s son Aniket and daughter Aditi are directors in 25 private companies, through which over 250 acres of land was purchased at Dughadwadi and Ambivali in 2008-09, the petition says. Phanse has sought a CBI inquiry, claiming that as the home department is with NCP, to which Tatkare belongs, the police would not conduct a fair investigation.
