The high court had earlier expressed displeasure over the manner in which the local police was handling the investigation.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) will probe the land deal case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Eknath Khadse and register an FIR against the accused, Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court on Wednesday.
A division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Revati Mohite Dhere said the investigation should be carried out “expeditiously and independently”.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by activist Hemant Gavande in which it was alleged that Khadse, during his tenure as state revenue minister, purchased a three-acre plot at Bhosari in Pune, owned by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), in the name of his kin for Rs 3.75 crore as against the market price of Rs 40 crore.
The government's decision to transfer the probe to ACB comes after the high court had during earlier hearings expressed displeasure over the manner in which the local police was handling the investigation.
State government counsel Niteen Pradhan informed the division bench on Wednesday that the Pune police, which was earlier investigating the case, would not be able to probe the case falling under Prevention of Corruption Act. "The investigation into the case against Khadse and his family members will be transferred to ACB. An FIR will be lodged against the accused persons," Pradhan said.
The high court had earlier said that if the government was not willing to transfer probe to ACB then it would pass appropriate orders.
In February this year, the state had told the HC that Pune police had not detected any "prima facie cognisable offence" in the case.
Khadse had quit the Devendra Fadnavis ministry in June 2016 in the wake of graft allegations, including irregularities in the Pune MIDC land deal. He had denied allegations of wrongdoing.
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