Bombay high court pulls up FDO over Rs13.5 crore fraud

The Bombay high court on Friday pulled up the food distribution officer (FDO) of Pune, Pradip Patil, in connection with a financial fraud committed by three kerosene dealers. The court also directed him to file his stand on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or crime investigation department (CID) probe into the fraud.  

City-based Right to Information (RTI) activist, Jayprakash Unecha, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in December against Patil and top officials of the food and civil supplies department for allegedly cheating the government of over Rs13.5 crore by ignoring the fraud.  

The PIL also names deputy secretary and executive officer of food, civil supplies and consumer department, Pramod Gholap, and deputy commissioner (supply) of Pune division, Arun Unhale, along with former minister for food, civil supplies and consumer protection, Rameshchandra Bang.  

Unecha’s lawyer, Mahendra Kawchale, told DNA that Patil’s lawyer, additional public prosecutor, PP Pol, tried to convince the court that the FDO registered a complaint against the three kerosene dealers — Gulabchand Ramji Dangi, Babulal Deepchand Sharma and Satish Keshav Walunj of Gokhalenagar.

The court rejected the submission made by Patil’s lawyer. “The court asked Patil why he should not be transferred out of Pune till the investigation by the CBI or CID concludes,” Kawchale added.  
It also asked the three kerosene shop owners to deposit Rs13.78 crore as per the investigation report of the district supply officer, Sneha Barge.