Polygraph test on 12 people in RTI acitivist murder case

Mumbai: A sessions court on Thursday gave the green signal to the CBI to conduct polygraph tests on 12 persons in connection with the murder of RTI activist Satish Shetty. These 12 include an IRB official and five suspects, who were earlier arrested by the local crime branch of the rural police.

Shetty was killed on January 13, 2010, near his Talegaon Dabhade home. He had exposed many land scams in the area using the RTI Act.

Police Inspector Anjir Jadhav from the CBI (Pune) yesterday produced Advocate Vijay Dhabhade, Pramod Waghmode, Navnath Shelar, Dongrya Rathod, Bapu Bhegade, Sagar Khollam, Kishor Aware, Kishor Bhegade, Hanumant Kalokhe, Umesh Phuge, Pradeep Bhalerao and IRB official Jayant Danagre in the court of Additional Sessions Judge S M Shinde and sought permission for the polygraph test on them. The court asked all the 12 if they were ready to face the lie detector, and they replied in the affirmative.

"We produced 12 people, including five accused arrested by the local crime branch of the rural police then, and witnesses in the court and sought permission for polygraph tests on them. The court gave permission," Superintendent of Police (CBI) Vidya Kulkarni said.

Jadhav said six of the 12 are witnesses in the case.

CBI sources said the then local crime branch police officials were also on the radar of the CBI as they had twisted the case and created fake witnesses, but Jadhav said it was too early to say anything about any police officers being under the scanner. After the murder, the local crime branch of the Pune rural police had arrested lawyer Dabhade and his clerk Waghmode, besides Rathod, Navnath Shelar and another accused Sham Dabhade. The police had also filed a 400-page chargesheet in the case.

Reward hiked to Rs 10 lakh
The Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI, Pune, has enhanced the reward to Rs 10 lakh from Rs 5 lakh for any person who gives credible information regarding the people involved in the conspiracy and murder of RTI activist Satish Shetty. The identity of the informant will be kept secret. Information may be sent to the Superintendent of Police, CBI (Anti-Corruption Branch), Akurdi.