The MRA Marg police have registered a case against the head of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet on a three-month old complaint of misappropriation of funds.
By Ashutosh Shukla | DNA India
A first information report (FIR) was lodged on Thursday, following a directive from the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, which has also ordered the police to inform it about the progress of the probe by March 20, 2014.
The complaint by a trustee of the punchayet, Khojeste Mistree, alleges misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs20 lakh and criminal breach of trust by the chairman, Dinshaw Mehta, in the transfer of tenancy rights of a punchayet property.
Ashok Jagdale, senior police inspector, said, "We have registered a case under sections 420 and 406 of the Indian Penal Code. The investigation is underway."
The original complaint was filed by a group of trustees with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and reported by dna on November 14, 2013.
However, the EOW rejected the complaint and closed the matter. "In fact, when Mistree filed a complaint with MRA Marg police they did not act either," said Shamsher Garud, the advocate representing Mistree, and this led him to approach the court.
Jimmy Mistree, another trustee, said, "We are supporting Khojeste in the matter. Now the EOW will have to explain why it closed the case."
When contacted, punchayet chairman Mehta said: "This is a political vendetta. It is exactly what they did when they filed a complaint with the EOW. The magistrate has directed the police to conduct an inquiry. Under the Supreme Court directives, when such an order is given by a magistrate an FIR has to be lodged and it is pending investigation. Let them investigate, the truth will come out."