In a surprising move, the state government has cancelled the suspension of deputy municipal commissioner, Shirish Yadav, from whose house currency notes were thrown out during an anti-corruption bureau (ACB) raid in 2007.
The government has also ordered his reinstatement as deputy collector.
Municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak, following the state government order on July 18, released Yadav from the services of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on July 21.
The revenue and forests department of the state government said in the order that Yadav was suspended by the then municipal commissioner on March 5, 2007, in the case of bogus transfer of development rights (TDR) relating to Survey Nos 143 and 144 in Kothrud. Permission had also been accorded for Yadav’s prosecution.
The state government has now decided to end Yadav’s suspension and to reinstate him in service by using its powers under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1979. The order is signed by the under secretary of revenue and forests department, SH Gokhale. DNA inspected the documents using the Right to Information Act, 2005.
As narrated by the officials of the ACB, they raided Shirish Yadav’s fifth floor flat in Swapnashilpa Apartment in Erandwane on February 28, 2007, in connection with the TDR scam. When they reached his house, Yadav’s wife, Pratiksha, asked them to wait in the hall and sought their permission to go to the bathroom.
While the ACB officials were waiting in the hall, the watchman of the society alerted them to somebody throwing out currency and files from Yadav’s apartment.
When the officials rushed into the other rooms, they found Pratiksha standing at the window and throwing out currency and files. All the notes, totalling more than Rs9.5 lakh, were recovered by the police.
Yadav was arrested and later released on bail. He was suspended from the PMC later.
