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Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Hundreds of maps ‘forged' for illegal bungalows: Bombay HC rejects bail of four officials, says manipulation not possible without their participation
Over three months after the Mumbai Police made arrests in a case of alleged forgery of hundreds of maps for illegal construction of bungalows on Madh Island, the bail pleas of four officials were rejected by a magistrate court which said that such manipulation was not possible without their participation. The Mumbai Police crime branch had arrested the officials in April, following the formation of a Special Investigation Team, on the orders of the Bombay High Court. The magistrate court last week rejected pleas of Anil Dabhole, who held the additional charge of record keeping of the maps; Kailas Dhomse and Shantaram Shinde, who worked as maintenance surveyors and Shamburaja Wable, who headed the city surveyor office in Goregaon. 'There is manipulation in the government map. Constructions of houses and bungalows have been shown as having being constructed prior to 1964. Said manipulation was done during the period of the applicant/accused (Dabhole)… The manipulation in the original record of the government is not possible unless and until the participation of the person incharge of the said office as well as the record keeper,' the court said in its order on July 8, rejecting the bail plea of Dabhole. The official had said that there was ongoing digitisation of records and hence the documents may not have been properly maintained. He also claimed that he was not the sole custodian of the map records as they were kept in a cupboard in the record room, which others also had the keys and access to. The accused also said that there was no proof that he was involved in the alleged forging of the maps or had been a beneficiary. The case had come to light following documents sought by a local, Vaibhav Thakur, under the Right to Information Act, after he noticed encroachment on the coast, in violation of the Coastal Zone Regulations. The police claim that since construction on the land on the coast there was permitted before 1960s, the maps at the Goregaon City Survey Office were forged to claim that the illegal constructions were already in existence. The accused in their pleas also cited that others had been granted bail by the sessions court but the court said that those granted bail were on different posts and were not the authority to maintain the records. On the pleas of Dhomse and Shinde, the court said they have long retired and had nothing to do with the offence. 'The applicants being surveyors are experts in verification of map. It was their duty to verify the original map along with tracing cloth sheet while issuing copies. Therefore, the point raised on behalf of the applicants that they do not have any knowledge regarding the manipulation of original map is not proper,' the court said. On Wable, it said that he was the head of the office and had ignored to take action despite receiving a complaint. 'His conduct itself is sufficient to infer that the manipulation has been done with the consent of the accused. Moreover, he avoided to give proper information to the investigating officer. It was legitimate expectation from the office incharge that after receipt of any complaint he should inquire properly and not to ignore,' the court said.
India Today
01-07-2025
- India Today
Five police officers sent to judicial custody in Tamil Nadu custodial death
Five Tamil Nadu police officers were arrested and sent to judicial custody until July 15 in connection with the alleged custodial death of 27-year-old Ajith Kumar, a temple security guard from Sivagangai district. The case has since been transferred to the Crime Branch Criminal Investigation the incident, the Superintendent of Police for Sivagangai, IPS Ashish Rawat, has been transferred. He has been replaced by IPS G Chandeesh, who currently serves as the Superintendent of Police for Kumar was taken into custody for questioning in a jewellery theft case on June 27 and was found dead a day later. According to Ajith Kumar's brother, he died due to police brutality, while Opposition leaders, too, condemned the alleged custodial death and demanded the arrest of those responsible. According to the First Information Report (FIR), accessed by India Today, Head Constable Kannan stated that the Inspector of Thiruppuvanam and the Deputy Superintendent of Police had instructed officers to extract a clear account from Ajith regarding the stolen jewellery. The report claims Ajith initially named several people before allegedly confessing to the theft and leading police to a cowshed where he said the items were further notes that, during the search, Ajith Kumar supposedly attempted to flee while removing an asbestos sheet, slipped, and fell. Head Constable Kannan claimed that he then left the location with other suspects to hand them over to their families, leaving Ajith in the custody of four other officers — Prabhu, Anand, Raja, and Sankaramanikandan. Later, Kannan reportedly received a call saying Ajith had suffered an epileptic episode while trying to escape again and had been taken to Thiruppuvanam Hospital. He was subsequently referred to Sivagangai Government Hospital, where he was declared brought dead at approximately 11.45 am on June autopsy report has since cast significant doubt on the police account. It lists at least 18 injuries on Ajith Kumar's body, including wounds on his elbows, ankles, cheeks, hips, and ribs, along with dried blood on both ears and signs of blunt force trauma. The injuries span from head to toe, prompting allegations of custodial response, a case is being filed before the Madras High Court's Madurai Bench on behalf of actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, seeking a court-monitored investigation into Ajith Kumar's death. The petition calls for the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ensure impartiality and of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami has condemned the incident, calling it a 'murder committed by the police under Stalin's government'. Referring to the autopsy report, he said, 'The injuries from head to legs are shocking. It is being said that he died due to the pressure exerted on the neck.' He criticised the authorities for attributing Ajith's death to an epileptic seizure, drawing parallels with the earlier custodial death of a man named Vignesh, and demanded that the Chief Minister called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry and added that all 25 custodial deaths reported under the current administration amount to a breach of human rights. He urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to initiate a suo motu state president Nainar Nagendran also wrote to the NHRC, seeking an independent inquiry into the case. - Ends IN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu
