PUNE, Jan 18: A division bench of the Bombay High Court today stayed the decision of Chief Minister Manohar Joshi clearing all charges of irregularities against the chairman of the Pimpri-Chinchwad New Township Development Authority (PCNTDA) Agasti Kanitkar.The division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashok Agarwal and justice Ajit P Shah, while admitting a writ petition filed by a freedom fighter from Chinchwad Ramchandra Deshmukhe against Kanitkar, passed an interim order that he should not function as PCNTDA chairman.Kanitkar had been given a hearing by the Chief Minister on December 7. On December 11, the Chief Minister absolved Kanitkar of all charges against him.Deshmukhe in early 1997 had first pleaded with the Chief Minister that an an enquiry be conducted into the various issues of corruption as revealed in the audit report.In October 1997, Deshmukhe filed a writ petition in the High Court following which the Government asked Pune Divisional Commissioner Arun Bhatia to enquire into the charges of irregularities at PCNTDA during the tenure of Kanitkar.The report submitted by Bhatia had indicted Kanitkar. However Kanitkar charged that he had not been given proper opportunity to defend charges against him during the enquiry conducted by Bhatia.The High Court in November had asked the Government to take decision in the wake of the report submitted by Bhatia and also another report submitted by the Chief Secretary of the urban development department.Joshi who heard Kanitkar absolved him of all charges. The High Court in its decision in December said that the petition filed by Deshmukhe could not be heard further. It however said that a fresh petition could be filed by Deshmukhe within four weeks.Deshmukhe in his fresh petition said that the Chief Minister gave a hearing to Kanitkar when a decision regarding the action against him was expected as the two enquiry reports had indicted Kanitkar. Moreover, the hearing for such a complicated issue was given in a period of just one hour, Deshmukhe said in his petition.
