No corruption case made out against traffic police: ACB to HC

Mumbai: The Maharashtra ACB today informed the Bombay High Court that no offence of corruption was made out against the traffic police department as alleged by a head constable.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Additional Director General submitted a report before a division bench of Justices R V More and Revati Mohite Dere and said the allegations levelled by head constable Sunil Toke against the traffic police department were probed and were found to be baseless.

The high court had in January this year directed the ACB to carry out an inquiry into the corruption charges levelled against the traffic police department by Toke.

Additional Public Prosecutor Jayesh Yagnik today told the court that Toke’s statement was recorded by the ACB, which also examined the CDs submitted by the head constable in support of his allegations.

“The statements of 29 witnesses were also recorded.The ACB, after inquiry, has come to the conclusion that no offence is made out against any traffic police personnel as alleged by the petitioner,” Yagnik said.

He said that the CDs submitted by Toke were inaudible.

Yagnik claimed that some videos in the CDs were downloaded from Youtube which were of Ahmedabad police and not Maharashtra police.

Toke’s lawyer Pradeep Havnur, however, alleged that the ACB was scuttling the inquiry.

The bench directed Havnur to personally go through the CDs submitted by Toke and see if there is any specific video of a traffic police personnel in Maharashtra accepting bribe.

The court will further hear the petition on March 29.

Toke had petitioned the HC seeking an FIR to be lodged and departmental inquiry to be initiated against the corrupt officials.

“The traffic policemen take money from trucks which ply sand illegally, trucks which evade octroi and which carry construction material, for illegal parking, drunken driving and so on,” the petition alleged.

It further alleged that the traffic police department collects Rs 40,000-50,000 from four-star and five-star hotels for allowing illegal parking outside their premises.

“There are thousands of illegal taxis and auto rickshaws plying in the city without requisite permissions. The traffic police personnel collect Rs 1,000-2,000 from each such vehicle every month and allow them to ply,” the petition claimed.

Toke, who is presently attached with Armed Police Force Worli division, was earlier posted with the Goregaon traffic police and also the Wadala traffic police.