File photo: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Maharashtra Assembly on Tuesday that he has given the requite permission to the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau to proceed with its investigations in various pending cases. This includes pending clearances for probes against senior government officers as well as legislators.
Sources told NDTV that the Chief Minister has also given the go-ahead to the ACB to conduct a probe against IAS officer Pravin Darade, who holds the position of Secretary to the Chief Minister's Office.
In an interview to NDTV after becoming the Chief Minister, Mr Fadnavis had warned, "There will be zero tolerance against corruption. The government will probe the irrigation scam and Adarsh scams".
But he had added, "There will be no political vendetta" while pursuing such corruption cases.
Mr Fadnavis had also questioned the logic behind the Anti-Corruption Bureau having to seek clearances before investigating corruption cases against senior government officials and ministers.
Earlier this month, the Fadnavis-led state government had announced an open inquiry against Nationalist Congress Party or NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and other senior leaders of the party including Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare, following allegations of corruption against them.
Mr. Bhujbal's family members and employees of his educational trust have been accused of accumulating wrongful gains in a major project, while he was the minister for Public Works Department. Former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and former Irrigation Minister Sunil Tatkare are facing corruption allegations in connection with the multi-crore irrigation scam.
Incidentally, as a member of the Opposition before the Maharashtra elections in October this year, Mr Fadnavis has led the BJP charge against the Congress and the NCP on the issue of corruption.