Plea filed in Bombay HC seeks FIR against bureaucrat who allowed Wadhawans' lockdown jaunt

A criminal writ petition has been filed before Bombay High Court against IPS officer Amitabh Gupta seeking FIR against him in connection to the VVIP lockdown pass which was issued to the Wadhawan family to travel to Mahableshwar. The petition accessed by Republic TV stated that when the Home Department police staff itself and all its lowest echelons right until the constable levels are religiously following and enforcing the directives of the Prime Minister and law directive, a very high ranking Mumbai IPS officer Amitabh Gupta who is the Principal Secretary (Special), Home Department had the demure to issue permission letter on 08-04-2020 addressed as “To whosoever it may concern” virtually giving blanket permission to his family friends i.e. about 23 persons of the Wadhawan family to travel by 5 luxury cars from Khandala to Mahabaleshwar for so-called “family emergency”.

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Details of petition

The petition further stated that the unlawful act of issuing permission letter to Wadhawan family by the said officer has been exposed, when the Mahabaleshwar police officers and government servants intercepted the Wadhawan luxury cars at Mahabaleshwar and then the skeleton started to tumble and all this was exposed in the media and press reports. The Maharashtra Home Minister has distanced himself from the episode and to save their grace, initiated a so-called inquiry, and sent Amitabh Gupta on leave, as seen from his media briefing on TV, the petition stated.

The petition further stated that in the matter of operation cover-up in rewarding Amitabh Gupta, the government of Maharashtra by sending him on leave, by holding an internal inquiry and exonerating him, relocating him on the same earlier important portfolio, demonstrating the political/bureaucrat clout with the Wadhawan Family, needs to be investigated and all those responsible be brought to justice. IPS officer Amitabh Gupta who was sent on compulsory leave by Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, not only resumed his office but got a new lease of life by being made the head of a coordination committee which will help police and migrants sort out the paperwork and help them travel home. Joint Commissioner of Police Vinoy Choubey and Deputy Secretary Rahul Kulkarni are also part of this committee.

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Here is the prayer in the plea:

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