Fadnavis reluctant to act against leader: Sources

Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the government had sought the legal opinion of the advocate general on whether the speaker of the Assembly could sanction the prosecution of former minister of state (home) Kripashankar Singh in the disproportionate assets case, but the government has not done anything yet, which could have resulted in the acquittal of his family of all charges.

BJP leaders including Mr Fadnavis had levelled allegations against Singh when they were in the Opposition. After a court order, a special investigation team probed him and filed a report in the Supreme Court. The SIT had found substance in the allegations and gathered details about disproportionate assets. But Singh was an MLA then and then-speaker Dilip Walse-Patil refused to grant permission to prosecute the leader.

When the BJP came to power in the state, it declared a war on corruption and claimed that no one would be spared. The governor, however, refused to prosecute former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam and now Mr Fadnavis is reluctant to go for review about sanction to the speaker of the Assembly against Singh, though he himself had levelled allegations against him, sources said.

Singh has maintained good relations with many senior leaders in Delhi and Mumbai and extended political help since last year. Because of his close ties, the BJP-led government is not taking any action and matter has not yet been reviewed, party sources said. When The Asian Age contacted the chief minister for his comment, he did not respond.