Fadnavis had presented video recordings in a pen drive before legislative assembly deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal in which certain individuals including special public prosecutor Pravin Chavan, and leaders of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance could allegedly be heard hatching conspiracies to frame BJP leaders

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New Delhi, March 15

The Maharashtra Government has ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the allegations raised by former Maharashtra CM and leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis on ‘sting operation’. 

Fadnavis had presented video recordings in a pen drive before legislative assembly deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal on March in which certain individuals including special public prosecutor Pravin Chavan, and leaders of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance could allegedly be heard hatching conspiracies to frame BJP leaders.

HM Walse-Patil stated that the “sting operation” would be probed. Patil also announced the resignation of special public prosecutor Pravin Chavan. 

He said, “Advocate Pravin Chavan, whose name was raised in the sting operation, has resigned as government advocate. We will verify the details given in the pen drive and CID will carry out the probe. This sting operation on Pravin Chavan will be probed. There is no question of supporting anyone involved”. 

Meanwhile, Walse Patil claimed the illegal phone tapping between 2015 and 2019 involved four elected representatives who were then associated with the BJP or had allied with the party. He said permission was taken for tapping the present Congress state president Nana Patole under the name of Amjad Khan. 

Minister of State Bachchu Kadu’s phone was tapped under the name of Nizamuddin Babu Sheikh and higher ups were told that he is a drug dealer. Then BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh’s phone was tapped under the name of Heena Salunkhe.

“The phone tapping was done illegally under the garb that phones of drug peddlers have been put under surveillance,” he said.

Walse Patil, in his speech, also questioned Fadnavis on why he had not probed the land deal of Nawab Malik when he was the chief minister and home minister of the state. 

He said, “Malik is a five-time MLA. He is targeted now because he has been raising issues against the Union government”. 

Fadnavis had earlier claimed that there was an attempt to frame BJP MLA Girish Mahajan in the 2018 case related to the Maratha Shikshan Prasarak Mandal where Mahajan was booked for alleged extortion and criminal intimidation. 

Fadnavis said that the present government conspired to invoke MCOCA against Mahajan and had demanded a probe by the CBI. He insisted on a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation.