For the second time, Modi government refuses permission to prosecute fisheries' minister Purushottam Solanki in a Rs400-crore scam.
In a major development, the Gujarat state government on Thursday decided not to give permission for prosecution of fisheries minister Purushottam Solanki in an alleged scam in the allotment of fishing contracts. This is the second time that the state government has decided not to grant sanction for Solanki’s prosecution in the scam.
The state cabinet had taken this decision at its meeting held on Wednesday. However, a letter about this decision signed by chief secretary AK Joti on Thursday was sent to the complainant, Ishaq Maradia, on Friday. The minister is accused of allotting, at throwaway rates, contracts worth Rs400 crore for fishing in the state reservoirs in the last 10 years.
The Gujarat state cabinet took this decision in response to the Gujarat high court’s order of March 30, 2012, in this regard.
In its order, the high court had held that the Governor, in consultation with the council of ministers, shall decide within three months on giving sanction for Solanki’s prosecution under the prevention of corruption act. The court had also said that the governor can use his own discretion to decide the issue if he found that the Gujarat state government had a ‘biased’ view in the matter.
Meanwhile, Ishaq’s lawyer has decided to challenge the state government’s decision before the Gujarat high court by filing a contempt of court petition. “Actually, the high court had held that the Governor is the competent authority to take a decision on the minister. But in this case the government has taken a decision without informing the governor,” said Mukul Sinha, counsel for Maradia. “It is a breach of the high court ruling and we will file a petition seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the state government,” Sinha said. The controversy began in 2008 when Maradia was refused contract for fishing in state reservoirs. He then filed a petition in the Gujarat high court. In 2009, the high court scrapped all fishing contracts issued by Solanki and ordered that the process of inviting tenders for the year 2007-2008 be started afresh.
When it invited bids afresh, the government earned Rs45 crore in single year, against the meagre Rs2.4 crore for which the contracts were granted by the fishing minister. After that, Maradia sent a letter to the chief secretary alleging that the government exchequer had to suffer a loss of more than Rs400 crore in the last 10 years as Solanki had granted contracts at very low rates during this period. He further demanded that steps be initiated to prosecute the minister on corruption charges. However, in 2010, the government refused to grant sanction for prosecution. Then Maradia again filed a petition before the high court which gave its order in March this year.
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