COVID-19: IPS Officer to Be Probed for Travel Nod to Wadhawans

Maha govt sent Gupta on compulsory leave for allegedly allowing passage to Wadhawan family to Mahabaleshwar.

DHFL Building in Mumbai. Image used for representation

(Source: BloombergQuint)

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Friday, 10 April, said that the state government will probe Principal Secretary Amitabh Gupta's role in allowing DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan to travel despite the ongoing lockdown.

He said that Additional Chief Secretary Manoj Saunik will conduct the probe.

Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan are accused in Yes Bank and DHFL fraud cases.

In a video statement, Deshmukh said that action will be taken against the Wadhawans under sections 188, 269, 270, 34 of the IPC, section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act and section 11 of the COVID-19 regulations.

Gupta, who is special principal secretary in the state home department, is a senior IPS officer.

Earlier in the day, the state government sent Gupta on compulsory leave after it came to light that he had allegedly allowed passage to the Wadhawan family to Mahableshwar during the ongoing lockdown.

Deshmukh had tweeted that as per the discussions with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Gupta was sent on compulsory leave with immediate effect.

The home minister lashed out at the BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, who demanded his resignation over the incident.

Deshmukh said the central government had powers to dismiss an IPS officer.

CBI Asks Wadhawans Not Be Released Out of Quarantine Without Its Permission

Meanwhile, the CBI has asked Satara district authorities in Maharashtra to not release Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan from COVID-19 quarantine without its approval, as they face non-bailable warrants

The CBI said Kapil and Dheeraj were absconding since the case was registered on 7 March, prompting the agency to get non-bailable warrants against them from a special court.

The agency had received information on Thursday about their location at a government quarantine centre in Panchgani following which the CBI dispatched an email to Satara District Magistrate, asking him to not release them without an NOC from the CBI.

(With inputs from PTI)