Mumbai: The Colaba police have booked special public prosecutor (PP) Shekhar Jagtap, builder Shamsunder Agarwal and deputy secretary (home department) Kishore Bhalerao, accusing them of deceiving the Bombay High Court, Mumbai sessions court, and Thane district sessions court. The main charge is that even though Jagtap was authorised to appear only in the lower court as special PP, he appeared in the high court as well.
The action has been initiated in response to a case filed by builder Sanjay Punamiya, who has alleged that Jagtap, despite representing the state, assisted builder Shamsunder Agarwal in the Rs15 crore extortion case in which former Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh was also named. Jagtap is also accused of fabricating documents with the help of Bhalerao, who has now been suspended by the government.
As per the FIR lodged by the Colaba police, Jagtap acted as Agarwal's private lawyer during the first remand proceeding of a Marine Drive police station extortion case, which led to Punamiya's arrest and implicated Param Bir Singh.
Jagtap allegedly informed the court that he had been appointed as the PP by the state, not only for the Marine Drive case but also for another extortion case involving Agarwal and others at Juhu police station, which alleged connections with underworld figure Chhota Shakeel.
Punamiya has said that Jagtap's unauthorised intervention led to prolonged incarceration, and loss of reputation and business. Jagtap has, meanwhile, denied these allegations. He said he received proper authorisation from police commissionerates and zones concerned. In response to the legal action, he has approached the Bombay High Court to seek the quashing of the FIR, emphasising Punamiyas history of filing complaints against public prosecutors and lawyers.
