Amid the controversy over a meeting between Mumbai Police commissioner Rakesh Maria and former Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi in London, former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has denied any knowledge about the same.
Then Maharashtra chief minister and Congress leader Chavan claimed that the Mumbai Police chief did not inform him about his meeting with the former IPL commission.
Maria had claimed that he had informed the state Home Ministry about his meeting with Modi in London. Notably, then Maharashtra home minister R R Patil passed away early this year.
The statement by Chavan comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought a report from Maria over his meeting with Lalit Modi, following which the Mumbai Police chief said that he would submit a report soon.
"We have asked Rakesh Maria to give information officially to the government on what he has said in the media. Based on his information, we will decide further course of action," said Fadnavis.
Asked if a time frame has been laid down for Maria to give the information, the CM said he has been given a day's time. On whether Maria will be asked to step down temporarily until the inquiry against him is conducted, Fadnavis said, "First let the information come to us."
Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil said that repeated requests from Lalit Modi cannot be an "excuse" to meet him and an inquiry will be conducted into what "compelled" Maria to meet Modi. "As far as what we know till now, on his repeated insistence, Maria met Lalit Modi in London. Now we will have to go through records and examine that what compelled Maria to meet him despite knowing there is so much criticism surrounding him. Insistence cannot be an excuse," Patil said.
Asked if there could be a political reason behind Maria's meet with Modi, since the Police Commissioner in his letter to the media stated that he had informed the then state Home Minister about his meet, Patil said, "It is on record that Maria informed the then Home Minister about his meet. May be the Home Minister got convinced of his reasons.
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