Make case against Mumbai cops, excise officials: Court to govt

The state government got an earful from the Sewri sessions court on Thursday for failing to taken stringent action against the city police and the state excise officers, without whom, it said in it said in its 115-page judgment, the business of sale of spurious liquor would not have taken off.

In his rap, which went on for two paragraphs in the judgment, additional sessions judge WB Kanbarkar came down heavily on the prosecution for not naming the officials concerned as co-accused in the case.

“Such police officers/ state excise officers ought to have been prosecuted as co-accused in this matter in order to eradicate deep-rooted corrupt practices and that too in the wider interests of society. But, the same is not done in this case so as to say it was not (the) sweet choice of the investigating officer to why they should not implicate as an accused but it is the sweet choice of the statute (to decide) who should be the accused.”

Pointing out that it isn’t too late to initiate action against the Vikhroli policemen and the state excise officials, the court said, “The investigating agency is still at liberty to initiate appropriate prosecution against such erring police officers/state excise officials in accordance with law because merely putting them under suspension will not serve any purpose in the interest of society.”

Soon after the Vikhroli hooch tragedy, the government had initiated a departmental inquiry against 57 officials, including two IPS officers.

After it told the court that most of them were exonerated, the court made these observations.