4 days after the Bombay HC rapped city cops for not registering an First Information Report (FIR) in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam, MRA Marg police registered a case against an unnamed former CM, DCM, Ministers & bank directors for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 25,000 crore by flouting norms to sanction loans to several sugar factories, spinning mills & other units. The First Information Report (FIR) doesn't mention names of any of the suspects.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s Ajit Pawar & former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Vijaysingh Mohite-Patil & Anandrao Adsul were among former directors of the bank who were named in a petition in the case. On Aug 22, a HC bench had directed the Mumbai economic offences wing (EOW) to register an First Information Report (FIR) in the case within 5 days.
Surinder Arora (64), a city-based businessman, is the complainant in the case. In 2012, Arora had filed a Criminal Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the HC alleging a huge loss to banks where loans were sanctioned by flouting banking norms. He had sought directions to register an First Information Report (FIR) against the then directors, chairman, MDs, CEOs, managing staff in-charge of the cooperative bank & office bearers of Sakhar Karkhanas, Soot Girni, & other processing units that were given the loans. The First Information Report (FIR) also mentioned the then office bearers of District Central Cooperative Bank & Pen Urban Cooperative Bank saying they had disbursed loans fraudulently.
“We have begun our probe. According to the complainant, the cheating was spread over a span of 15 years—from 2002 to 2017. We are collecting details. Since there were several ministers in the govt during this period, we have to probe the case thoroughly to find the role of suspects,” said an economic offences wing (EOW) officer.
The First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating, breach of trust, forgery, & also under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Arora’s complaint alleged that the bank directors ruined the rural economy & abandoned landless farmers & workmen associated with the cooperative structure by ensuring the collapse of these units to satisfy their personal greed. Nabard’s audit report too had revealed a breach of banking laws & Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations by the directors who distributed loans to their sugar factories, spinning mills & other units between 2005 & 2010.
In January 2018, the HC had directed economic offences wing (EOW) to record the case. A year later, Arora’s advocate Satish Talekar told the court nothing was done.
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