Mumbai, March 31 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi has been placed on leave to ensure an impartial investigation into allegations of police misconduct during the Zilla Parishad presidential election.
Ministers Shambhuraj Desai (Shiv Sena) and Makarand Patil (Nationalist Congress Party) had alleged that the local police manhandled them during the poll held on March 20 to elect the Satara ZP president.
Maharashtra legislative council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe had last week asked the state government to suspend Doshi.
"The Satara SP has been placed on leave. The decision was taken to ensure a fair and impartial investigation," Fadnavis told reporters on Monday.
According to sources, Doshi is currently on leave and will remain so until April 6.
During the March 20 poll, Bharatiya Janata Party's Priya Shinde was elected the Satara ZP president, defeating the Shiv Sena-NCP combine's candidate despite the latter having a majority in the rural local body. The BJP narrowly surpassed the Sena-NCP alliance's tally to win the top post.
The Eknath Shinde-led Sena and Sunetra Pawar-headed NCP are partners of the BJP in the state Mahayuti government.
After Gorhe's directive to the government last week to suspend Doshi, Fadnavis had said that the powers of the executive, judiciary, and legislature are well defined in the Constitution.
Executive powers rest with the executive, and it is accountable to the legislature. The government is making an effort to implement the direction given by the chair, the CM stated.
Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde had said that his deputy Gorhe's order on the suspension of the Satara SP will be forwarded to law and constitutional experts for their opinion, and only then a ruling will follow.