Mumbai News: Powai Police Yet To Act On Cross-FIRs Between Senior Bureaucrats Over Flat Registration Dispute

Mumbai: The Powai police have yet to act on cross-FIRs filed by two senior bureaucrats over a dispute regarding flat registrations. A police officer said, “We are investigating the matter. It is a financial dispute.”

About The Case

Umesh Chandiwade, 47, additional secretary in the home department, has accused his colleague Rajesh Govil, 58, deputy secretary in the same department, of cheating him and others of Rs 2.61 crore. This FIR, filed on July 19, followed an earlier complaint lodged by Govil in 2024. Both men live in Blue Bell Society, Powai.

According to the FIR, an agreement was signed in 1986 among builder Hiranandani, the state government and the MMRDA, under which Hiranandani was to hand over 1,296 flats, including units in Blue Bell Society. However, a PIL was later filed, complicating matters legally. To meet litigation expenses, each society member contributed Rs 1 lakh, totalling Rs 28 lakh, which was given to Govil. Chandiwade claimed that in a society meeting, Govil told members the court’s decision would take five to six years but offered to get the flats registered within eight months, citing documents and official contacts.

For this, he allegedly demanded Rs 10-15 lakh per member. Between July 2019 and 2021, 23 members handed over Rs 2.61 crore, with some even taking loans. Chandiwade said he collected Rs1.5 crore from residents of B Wing and gave it to Govil. The flats were never registered, and when residents sought refunds in March 2022, Govil allegedly failed to return the money