BHOPAL: A police officer of the State Police Services (SPS), Arun Mishra, got relief from the high court. Mishra is one of four officers to whom the home department issued chargesheets on the ground of the Income-Tax report. Three other officers belong to the IPS category, while Mishra is an SPS officer.
Justice Sanjay Dwivedi of Jabalpur High Court issued a stay order on the chargesheet. Now, no action can be taken against Mishra. The stay order opened the doors for the three IPS officers — Sanjay Mane, Sushobhon Banerjee and Madhu Kumar. The chargesheets issued to the officers on February 24 had sought replies from them within 15 days.
Mishra sought a copy of the I-T report from the government. As he did not get it, he moved the high court that gave him relief. Mishra’s lawyer cited the Jain diary linked with the hawala case, the Sahara diary and other cases in which the Supreme Court did not consider those diaries evidence till they were connected with evidence.
Besides that, the lawyer also said that the I-T report, on the ground of which the allegations were made, was not the final assessment. Neither the Income-Tax Department, nor the Economic Offences Wing has ever asked any question by sending a notice to Mishra.
In the chargesheet issued to Mishra, it was alleged that Prateek Joshi had kept Rs 7.5 crore at his (Mishra’s) residence. It was further stated in the court that the I-T sleuths had neither raided the residence of Mishra, nor found any money in his house.
