Jitendra Bhosle, who was arrested by the crime branch officials earlier this month for forging signatures of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, has now applied for bail in the magistrate’s court.
According to the police, Bhosle cheated people by promising them jobs and used fake letterheads of the CM.
He even submitted one such letter with the CM’s signature to the Mantralaya, asking officials to extend the Sixth Pay ommission’s recommendations to 522 employees and to make them permanent.
The prosecution claimed that he has received crores of rupees from the needy, after he assured them government jobs.
The accused has applied for bail on the grounds that he is a social worker and that the official letters recovered from his possession were not forged.
He also claimed that the other letters in his possession were recommendation letters forwarded to him by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and state labour minister Hasan Mushrif, who accepted his plea to provide pay scales based on the Sixth Pay Commission to Mantralaya employees.
The accused in his bail applications has said, “I am the president of the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Government Medical College of Kolhapur and have a reputation in the society. I have won various awards including the Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar from Lion’s Club, Dhanwantari Ratna Puraskar, Yashwant Gaurav Puraskar, Yuva Gaurav Puraskar, Samaj Bhushan Puraskar, Shree Nateshwar Puraskar, Adarabhushan Puraskar and Lion’s Club international’s Vishesh Gaurav Puraskar.”
Advocate Devendra Yadav, who is the defence counsel for Bhosle said, “My client has been falsely implicated in the case.
In 2011, when he knew that the newly-appointed Mantralaya officials were not appointed as permanent employees, he had decided to go on a hunger strike…this was not for his own interest, but for the interest of his people.”
The court will, however, decide on the bail application on Thursday.