Transport official fined for failing to file affidavit

Reported by thehindu.com on August 29, 2012
The Hindu : NATIONAL / KARNATAKA : Transport official fined for failing to file affidavit

The Goa Division Bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed Deputy Director of Transport Ashok Anandrao Bhonsle alias Krishnant A. Bhonsle to pay a fine of Rs.1,500 for failing to file his affidavit in stipulated time as directed by the court. It also directed him to file affidavit in person on September 11, the next date of hearing of the quo warranto writ filed against him by Right to Information (RTI) activist Sudip Tamhankar.


The petition came up for hearing on Tuesday before a Bench comprising Justice A.P. Lavande and Justice U.V. Bakre. The petition alleged commission of offences by Mr. Bhonsle of giving false certificates and bogus documents while taking up his job.


Mr. Tamankar, general secretary of the Goa Bus Operators’ Association, had filed a complaint with the city police a few months ago seeking immediate filing of FIR against Mr. Bhonsle alleging irregularities in his appointment. He had also written to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to take action on the complaint, and asking him to direct the police to file an FIR and investigate the allegations. Failing to get any action on his complaint, Mr. Tamhankar filed the writ pleading with the High Court that the State Police be directed to act on his criminal complaint against Mr. Bhonsle and investigate the case.


In his complaint, he alleged irregularities and illegalities by Mr. Bhonsle in order to get recruited to the post of Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector to begin with and further rising to become a Deputy Director of Transport.
The contention was that he had not submitted a single document at the time of joining service as required under recruitment rules and this was evident from the RTI reply given by PIO of the Transport Department.


The RTI activist urged the High Court to direct the Department to investigate whether the documents subsequently submitted were authentic.