State denies ACB probe into ex-minister Balasaheb Thorat over Thane land deal
The Maharashtra state government has informed the Bombay High Court that it refused permission to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to investigate corruption allegations against former state revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat over a land-conversion order in Thane. The state made this submission on Thursday, explaining that the orders in question were quasi-judicial and therefore not open to such scrutiny.
The case stems from a petition filed by Thane-based activist Ajit Patil. Patil is seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations that Thorat illegally revised a 2013 order in 2021. This revision allowed the conversion of an 85,000-square-metre plot in Thane from industrial to residential use.
During the hearing on Thursday, a government lawyer told a division bench consisting of Justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata that the state had declined the ACB's request for permission to investigate. The lawyer stated that because both the 2013 and 2021 orders involved were quasi-judicial in nature, it would be inappropriate to comment on them.
Following this disclosure, the division bench directed the state government to clarify its stand on the petitioner’s demand for a CBI probe within two weeks. The judges issued this directive after noting that an affidavit previously sought from the state's chief secretary had not yet been filed.
According to the petition, Patil discovered the alleged irregularities through Right to Information (RTI) replies. He received these replies from the Revenue Department in October 2023 before he approached the ACB.
In December 2023, the ACB informed Patil that it had sought the state government's approval to investigate the allegations against the former minister. However, no decision was communicated to Patil by the government, which led him to file the petition before the High Court.
While the state's refusal halts the ACB's investigation into Thorat, the High Court's latest order requires the state government to clarify its stance on the demanded CBI probe within the two-week deadline.
