CBI to probe two IPS officers

The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the CBI to probe the role of two Additional Director General of Police, high-profile Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria and four other IPS officers in manipulating investigations into their colleague K L Bishnoi's dubious clearance of law exams.

The order came in the wake of allegations made by former vice-principal of Siddarth Law College Chitra Salunke, who accused Bishnoi of managing to clear his law graduation with the help of the then acting principal I A Indar without undergoing the practical exams held on March 12, 2005.

In her petition, Salunkhe stated that a probe was ordered following her complaints to the university authorities, which was investigated by Additional Director General of Police Pankaj Gupta and Mohan Rathod, ATS chief Maria, Additional Commissioner of Police Sanjay Saxena and three Deputy Commissioners of Police-Naval Bajaj, Brijesh Singh and Vishwas Nangre-Patil.

The petitioner had further charged that the seven IPS officers had submitted a false report to their superiors and though she had lodged a complaint with Maharashtra DGP, on February 10, 2010, till date no action has been taken. “It is precisely because of the camaraderie being shown by Maharashtra cadre IPS officers towards each other that I would like a CBI probe into the matter,” Salunkhe told the court.