Tanaji Gambhire lodged a complaint with ACB Pune, providing more than 2,000 pages of evidence in a case involving disproportionate assets linked to Dilip Khedkar, the father of IAS trainee Puja.
Advocate Tanaji Gambhire, who is filing a case against Dilip Khedkar for having disproportionate assets, has given more than 2,000 pages of evidence to the Pune division of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Gambhire mentioned that he gave his statement and handed over a 2,050-page evidence file to the ACB the previous week. The records consist of agreements for buying land, Index II documents, as well as information on companies and vehicles linked to Dilip or his family members.
He stated that companies such as Pooja Tyres, Pooja Automobiles, Thermoverita Engineering Pvt Ltd, Diligence Sugar & Agro Pvt Ltd, Diligence Envirotech Pvt Ltd, Diligence Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Diligence Recyclers Pvt Ltd, Diligence Corporation Pvt Ltd, and Ecalede Auto Pvt Ltd were either owned by Khedkar or his relatives.
In 2020, Dilip stepped down from his position as director of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
During his time at Aurangabad MPCB, Khedkar would issue notifications to businesses found in violation of pollution regulations and suggest they buy items from one of his companies as a way to resolve the issue. He stated that he has amassed assets worth more than ₹50 crore through unlawful methods, and I have handed over the paperwork to the ACB.
Dilip was ordered to be suspended by authorities on February 24, 2020, following a departmental investigation which revealed he had threatened 300-400 small businessmen for extortion during his time in Mumbai, with a complaint being filed to MPCB. The suspension order stated that Dilip had asked for amounts ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 from companies in exchange for withdrawing closure notices issued against them.
At the same time, a complaint against Khedkar was transferred from Pune ACB to Nashik ACB, which is investigating Dilip in an open enquiry.
A high-ranking officer from ACB Pune stated, “We have handed in our report to our superiors and are now awaiting additional guidance.”
Khedkar, who had retired from MPCB, was not successful in his campaign for the Lok Sabha election in 2024. In his affidavit for the elections, he stated that his yearly earnings were ₹43 lakh and his approximate assets were valued at ₹40 crore.
The Khedkar family was investigated for alleged abuse of power by Puja, as well as for allegedly falsifying disability certificates and misusing the OBC quota.
