How an unreleased report is fuelling suspense in Maharashtra's political circles

Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis (L) and former home minister Anil Deshmukh (R)

The Chandiwal report has become a source of intrigue in Maharashtra, with its contents and the reasons for its non-publication shrouded in mystery. At the center of this enigma is the question of whether former home minister Anil Deshmukh is guilty of extorting Rs 100 crore from Mumbai's bar and restaurant owners or if he has been framed.

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The report, submitted by Justice KU Chandiwal, has been lying with the Maharashtra government for an inexplicable two years, with both the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde governments refusing to make it public. This has led to speculation about its contents and the reasons behind its non-disclosure.

The allegations against Deshmukh surfaced after Parambir Singh, the former Mumbai Police Commissioner, wrote a letter to the then-Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in March 2021, accusing Deshmukh of pressurizing Sachin Waze, a crime branch inspector, to extort money from hoteliers and bar owners. Deshmukh was subsequently removed from his position, and a judicial inquiry was ordered under Justice Chandiwal.

The commission recorded statements from various individuals connected to the case, including Sachin Waze and Parambir Singh. However, Singh challenged the scope of the inquiry, citing the CBI's parallel investigation into the same charges. Despite this, the commission concluded its inquiry in February 2022 and submitted the report to the Maharashtra government.

The non-publication of the report by both the Thackeray and Shinde governments has fueled suspense about its contents. If the commission has exonerated Deshmukh, the Thackeray government would have likely released the report. Conversely, if the report indicts Deshmukh, the Shinde government could have used it to their advantage by making it public. Yet, both governments have refrained from releasing the report.

Anil Deshmukh claims that he has been absolved by the commission and demands that the report be made public. State home minister Devendra Fadnavis has responded by saying that the report was submitted during Thackeray's tenure, and his government should have released it. The mystery surrounding the Chandiwal report continues to simmer, with the people of Maharashtra left wondering about its contents and the motivations behind its non-publication.