Zero FIR in Ajit Pawar crash an attempt to defame Maharashtra, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the zero FIR registered in Bengaluru in connection with the plane crash that killed then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on January 28 was an alleged attempt by the neighbouring Congress-led Karnataka government to “defame” the State.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) [NCP-SP] MLA Rohit Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s nephew, said on Tuesday that, as the Maharashtra police failed to register an FIR on his complaint alleging negligence in connection with the air crash, he filed a zero FIR in Bengaluru.

Replying to a motion moved by the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Fadnavis said, “What Karnataka has done is to defame Maharashtra by suggesting that the probe in the Ajit Pawar matter is not being conducted fairly. Karnataka should have told you [Rohit Pawar] that a zero FIR cannot be registered here.” 

Mr. Fadnavis said he did not doubt the NCP (SP) MLA’s actions or intent. However, he objected to the perception that the Bharatiya Janata Party was attempting to hinder an impartial probe or the registration of an FIR in the matter.

He said that a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department is under way, and an Accidental Death Report (ADR) has been registered. The State government has also written to the Centre seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in accordance with the family’s wishes, Mr. Fadnavis added.

“Why would we try to block an FIR? We were so closely associated. Your sentiments are strong. So, you met Rahul Gandhi, who asked you to go to Karnataka to register a zero FIR. Or maybe you felt so yourself. The Karnataka government has no right to accept this zero FIR. The rule is that when the victim is not in a position to register an FIR in the given jurisdiction, a zero FIR can be registered. If this system continues, our legislators will register an FIR against the Karnataka CM [Siddaramaiah] in Mumbai. That is not the intent of a zero FIR. You may be aggrieved, and you have every right to be so. But this is not the process. You can go to the court, which can direct the registration of an FIR,” Mr. Fadnavis said.

He added that everyone in the House wanted an impartial probe into the matter and felt strongly about it. “We will not spare anyone if they are involved in a conspiracy against Ajit Pawar. We will do everything possible to bring them to justice and to find them,” he said.

Addressing Mr. Rohit Pawar’s concern that the State government had refused to register an FIR, the Chief Minister said, “In an accident, to set the law in motion, an ADR is registered. After investigation, if it is found not to be an accident but a conspiracy, it is converted into an FIR when a chargesheet is filed. There is no difference between an FIR and an ADR. Both these instruments are used to set the law in motion.”