'Police salary accounts with Axis Bank since 2005'

Amid allegations that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis helped Axis Bank, where his wife holds a senior position, an official on Wednesday said that salary accounts of Mumbai Police have been with the bank since 2005.

Amrita Fadnavis, the chief minister's wife, holds a senior corporate position at Axis Bank, a private lender.

A Nagpur-based RTI activist recently filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate, seeking a probe against the chief minister alleging that he misused his position to get more business for the bank.

Earlier public sector lender State Bank of India handled police personnel's salary accounts, and shifting them to a private bank caused a loss to the exchequer, he claimed.

However, a senior official of Mumbai Police said that Axis Bank was handling these accounts since 2005, much before Fadnavis became chief minister.

The bank also has the salary accounts of employees of Kendriya Vidyalaya, the Urban Development Department of the state government and the Charity Commissioner's office for long, he said.

The state government decided to disburse the salaries through nationalised and private banks in 2005, and UTI Bank was among the 16 banks selected for this purpose, he said.

In 2007, UTI Bank changed its name to Axis Bank.