BOMBAY, 19 May 2006 - Suspended additional chief secretary of Maharashtra government Ashok Khot was declared "proclaimed offender" after he failed to surrender before the Wednesday midnight deadline set by the state government.
Khot along with senior Congressman and Cabinet minister Surup Sinh Naik were sentenced to one-month imprisonment by the Supreme Court last week for "willfully" flouting norms and "disregarding" the orders of the court by allowing six saw mills to operate in Tansa wildlife sanctuary.
Khot also faces a departmental inquiry for allegedly giving permission to Indal, a major aluminum company, to conduct mining activities in Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary in Kolhapur district.
Naik has already surrendered and has been sent to serve his sentence in the Thane prison.
Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R.R. Patil said that as Khot has been declared a proclaimed offender, the state government would now be forced to attach his property.
Patil stated that the Bombay police was fully aware that Khot was in New Delhi and has been in contact with government officials, including state director general of police P.S. Pasricha. The home minister also issued strict instructions to Bombay police commissioner A.N. Roy to ensure that Khot is arrested at the earliest.
Meanwhile trouble is brewing between the two coalition partners in the government over the arrest of Naik and the dilly-dallying tactics of the home department which is controlled by the NCP in arresting Khot.
The Congress party is peeved about the manner in which the state administration and the police machinery have handled the issue. Senior Congress leaders said that pressure was exerted to make their party minister surrender, while the same yardstick was not applied for Khot.
