Mumbai, July 7, 2026: The Bombay High Court has transferred the investigation into an alleged multi-crore forest plantation scam in Solapur district to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), strongly criticising the police for failing to complete the probe even after nearly four years.
Court Orders CBI Probe
A bench of Justices Vrushali Joshi and Sandesh Patil of the Kolhapur Bench of the High Court passed the order while hearing a petition filed by whistle-blower Dadaso Gorakh Chavan, who had sought transfer of the investigation from the Pandharpur City Police.
The case relates to an FIR registered in August 2022 alleging large-scale fraud, forgery and misappropriation of government funds meant for tree plantation under the Social Forestry Department between 2007 and 2023. The petitioner alleged that officials falsely showed plantations and created bogus labour records to siphon off public money.
The petitioner told the court that despite registering the FIR, the police had made no meaningful progress in the investigation and had not even filed a chargesheet. He argued that despite providing complete assistance and pursuing the matter through public agitations, no action had been taken against the officers named in the complaint.
Court Slams Police Delay
The State opposed the plea, saying the investigation was extensive and involved verifying details of several labourers, many of whom were allegedly fictitious. The prosecution sought more time, citing the complexity of the probe.
However, the court was not convinced.
“After passage of nearly four years, the chargesheet has also not been filed,” the bench observed. It added that the police authorities were “negligent and have been sleeping over their duties” and described the case as “a classic case of dereliction and negligence of duties.”
The court also noted that the petitioner, being a whistle-blower, had diligently supplied information to the investigating agency. “It appears that there is a lackadaisical approach on the part of the police authority,” the bench said, adding that allowing the police to continue with the investigation would “surely derail the dispensation of justice.”
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Records To Be Handed Over
Holding that the circumstances warranted intervention, the High Court directed that the FIR be transferred to the CBI. It also ordered the Maharashtra government to immediately hand over all investigation records and documents to the central agency.
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