26/11 call record case: Mumbai police gets govt nod to move HC

Indian Express: Mumbai: Friday, 07 November 2014.

In a relief to Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, the  Maharashtra government has allowed city police to move the Bombay High Court to challenge an order passed by the State Chief Information Commissioner, who initiated a judicial inquiry against him in connection with the alleged discrepancies in the 26/11 call records.

“The government has given permission to go and appeal in the Bombay High Court (against the order of the CIC),” Maria told PTI.

An affidavit in this regard would be filed soon after consulting the lawyers concerned, the top cop said.

The city police had approached the State Home Department seeking permission to challenge Chief Information Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad’s July order in court.

The transparency watchdog had asked the state government to institute an inquiry headed by a sitting or retired judge under Commission of Inquiry Act to go into why “misleading” information was provided to Vinita Kamte, wife of slain IPS officer Ashok Kamte, by Maria.

“Considering the information available, it looks like in this matter misleading information was provided, deliberately no information was shared or information was destroyed, delays were caused in providing information etc. And the commission agrees with the doubts raised by the complainant (Vinita Kamte),” Gaikwad had said in a scathing  three-page order passed on July 9.

“Hence, I order the state government through the Chief Secretary to initiate an inquiry under the Commission of Enquiry Act 1952 headed by a sitting or retired judge,” the order of the CIC had said.

Maria as Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) had led the probe into the brazen terror assault launched by 10 Pakistani terrorists  on November 26, 2008 and was heading the police control room for some time during the 72-hour siege.

Vinita Kamte had under RTI sought call logs of wireless conversations between the control room and Kamte’s van in which he was killed with Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar.

She had alleged the details were first denied to her. However, when information was provided in November 2009 and February 2010, there were “serious discrepancies”.