Rajendra Arlekar should resign as Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly till the current probe against him is over to enable the Anti–Corruption Branch (ACB) headed by Superintendent of Police Bosco George and the Income Tax officials to conduct a free, fair and impartial investigation into the source of those 72 lakhs he paid last year for that 500 sq mt plot at Porvorim. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar while as Leader of Opposition had promptly demanded the resignation of all those facing a police probe. He is now being a silent spectator despite his Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar being booked by the police under Section 420 of IPC for cheating and Speaker Rajendra Arlekar now facing a probe under the Prevention of Corruption Act. ACB officials are going slow in the investigation against Rajendra Arlekar. A scrutiny is required of the call details of telephonic conversations between some ruling party politicians and the ACB officials on 29th January after the complaint against Rajendra Arlekar was filed. Nobody can be above the law. The Special Court under the Prevention Act will have to be moved to seek appropriate directions to the ACB to ensure that the case against Rajendra Arlekar is speedily and fairly investigated. The Goa police who have gone above board in the Tarun Tejpal case are once again acting as caged parrots but this time to shield Rajendra Arlekar from facing the law. Despite the complaint against Rajendra Arlekar being based on documentary evidence which has all been given to the authorities, the ACB officials are being pressurized to go all out to rescue Rajendra Arlekar by even giving him time to manipulate the records. By a sale deed dated 26th August last year Speaker Rajendra Arlekar purchased from a Delhi based journalist Dharmanand Kamat the 500 sq mt plot at Porvorim on payment of Rs 72 lakhs. The sale deed does not reveal the mode of payment as to whether the amount paid by Rajendra Arlekar was in cash, cheque or draft. Besides the 72 lakhs Rajendra Arlekar also paid an amount of Rs 2,52,000 towards stamp duty and a further Rs 2,16,280 as registration and processing fees of that Sale deed. In an affidavit filed by Rajendra Arlekar on 9th February 2012 he had shown his income for the year 2010-2011 as Rs 2,76,671 and that of his wife Anagha Deshpande Arlekar who is a school teacher as Rs 5,87,186. Meanwhile the Income Tax authorities have initiated action to seek an explanation from Rajendra Arlekar and the vendor of the plot Dharmanand Kamat on the Rs. 72 lakh transaction. Time to take a break, Speaker Sir.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 14:42:44 +0000
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