Former Maharashtra minister Anil Parab and four others acquitted in Dapoli resort case

Mumbai: A special court in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district has acquitted former state minister Anil Parab in a case of alleged illegal construction of a resort and tax irregularity, ruling that the prosecution has failed to prove its case.Besides Parab, who is a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, special judge at Khed Prasanna S Chandgude, hearing cases linked to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), on Tuesday cleared sarpanch Suresh Shankar Tupe, gramsevak Anant Dnyandev Koli, circle officer Sudhir Shantaram Pardule and sub-divisional officer Jayram Vinayak Deshpande of all charges.They had been charged for offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating and forgery as well as for crime committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act.The prosecution's case originated from a 2021 complaint by former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who alleged tax irregularities and environmental violations in the construction of a resort at Murud in Dapoli taluka of Ratnagiri.He alleged that the Murud gram panchayat allegedly assessed property taxes in 2019 without verifying if the building was actually completed. He said the construction of the resort was allegedly permitted within a restricted development zone of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ-III) in Dapoli.The prosecution alleged that two sale deeds failed to mention the standing structure to avoid paying higher stamp duties, totaling a combined alleged loss of over Rs 25 lakh to the state government.However, the court, after perusal of evidence, held that the prosecution has "miserably failed" to prove the corruption charges against the accused.The court flagged several discrepancies in the prosecutions' case."It appears that the allegations made against the accused are different in the FIR and different in the chargesheet," the court said.The special judge highlighted that the prosecution's case is based on a complaint made by Somaiya. "He was an important witness. However, the prosecution has not examined Somaiya to prove the offence against the accused," the court pointed out.The judge underlined that the allegation of illegally sanctioned permission within the CRZ-III area has also been proved.