Injustice – Mumbai and Washington style!

Injustice – Mumbai and Washington style!

By Neeraj Mahajan and Ajit Ujjainkar

F

or the past 26 years Jyoti Atmaram Ghag – who stays with her husband and three children in Washington, USA has spent almost 12 years of time in both USA and India—chasing the mirage of illusive justice which is nowhere to be found. While both the countries claim to be the world’s greatest democracies—instead of action on her complaint, she has been subjected to intrigue, conspiracy and treats of arrest. The powerful people who allegedly murdered her father and abused her –have gone scot free. In spite of getting multiple orders from the President, Prime Minister’s office and the union Home Ministry – neither state Government nor Federal investigative agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI are  registering a case.

Jyoti (in sky blue) with her family in US

If in USA, she was falsely investigated like a terrorist and faced the other end of the FBI guns, in India she and her brothers had many false case registered against them. All this because of the accused – her brother-in-law ACP (retd) Vilas Arjun Shirke was a former encounter specialist with influential contacts in Mumbai Police. Shirke even allegedly misused a power of attorney to launder his ill gotten wealth through her Dena bank NRI account # 114. She was not allowed to withdraw the power of attorney or close the account. Even the complaint against this to DG Anti Corruption, Mumbai police J D Virkar is gathering dust.

At the heart of the matter is an attempt to usurp her father’s property worth crores and deny the legitimate rights to some of his legal heirs. 

Atmaram Raghojirao Ghag with grand children on a visit to US

Her father Atmaram Raghojirao Ghag 86– a retired Mumbai police officer& her 2 brothers Manish & Paresh were being abused under the misuse of 498A, the conspiracy allegedly hatched by his daughter in law Sushma, his daughter Meena Vilas Shirke, a high court advocate, some Thane court officials & Vartak Nager Thane Police officials in July 2001. Her father couldn’t survive nearly 17 months of physical, emotional torture and abuses, had abusive death in Jan’2003. Almost a decade after his un natural death-- his two sons and a daughter – continue to suffer pain on account of the corruption in Maharashtra Police and Indian legal System. His daughter Jyoti Ghag moved to US in June 1987 and took American Citizenship in 1996. But instead of solving her problems – she finds herself torn apart -- one foot in Mumbai, one in state of Washington.

The second phase of this tale of miscarriage of justice started in June 1999 when Anti- Corruption Branch Mumbai refused to accept her written Complaint against Mumbai Police officer Vilas Arjun Shirke and Ketan Shriram Ghag, Advocate. It took her four years to get Hon. Home Minister R. R.Patil to issue an order (# 3527/ DTMS TC/APP/31/2005). But Thane CP D. Shivanandan and the Vartak Nagar Police allegedly stonewalled the case. Likewise in Anti- Corruption Branch right from DG J.D. Virkar to Pradnya Sarvade and Ashutosh Dombreeveryone kept delaying investigation against Vilas Shirke.

In 2008, though the Maharashtra DGP A.N. Roy ordered an investigation vide order # DGP /PA/ CB/2008/50 June 2008- Dec 2008- Thane CP Anil Dhere, DCP Shintre, DCP Bhujangrao Shinde, Vartak Nagar thane in charge police inspector Bajirao Bhosale, other Vartak Nager police officials like Crime Branch officer Jagtap and Sub-inspectors Samajik Surksha Kaksha mrs.Suvarna Shinde, PI Mrs.L.S. Donde, PSI Smt. Meghana Burande and PSI Mr. Sawant ensured that status quo was maintained.

Instead they registered an FIR 145/2008 and arrested Paresh Ghag allegedly on the basis of a factitious complaint filed by his own sister. The lid on this ‘fake’ complaint was blown when Jyoti herself flew down to India within 48 hours of Paresh’sarrest& brought him out of Thane jail after proving his innocence to Thane small Court Judge Mrs. Bharti Kale & bringing Thane Police officials’ illegal & inhuman practices on the record of the said court. The angry Thane Police filed one more false FIR 349/2008 undertheft charges, this time it was against Jyoti.

The Maharashtra and Goa Bar Council Chairman Rajiv Patil refused to entertain her complaint D.C. # 105/ 2009 against unethical and corrupt behavior of advocates Deepak Naik and Ketan Shriram Ghag.TheBar council secretaryVarsha Rokade wrote to her saying that the Bar Council Of Maharashtra & Goa was not a public authority coveredunder the Right to Information Act.Similarly after the Mumbai Anti- Corruption office refused to act against retired Mumbai ACP Vilas Shirke -- one of theirown officers she personally met the Mumbai Income Tax Chief Commissioner Debabrata Das and Sandeep Dahiya, IRS. That was the end of the story as till date she does not know the status of her complaints.

Yet another shock awaited her when the Thane Police Department &Thane District Court gave her in writing that the entire bunch of related complaints &documents in case #1410/ 2001 had been lost. So around July 2009 she approached the Mumbai High Court Chief Justice Hon. Swatantra Kumar &MaharashtraChief Minister Ashok Chavan. He ordered to transfer the investigation from Thane Police to Mumbai Crime Branch # Mu/Ma/ Sa/09/ 57963. Almost at the same time DGP S.S. Virk (order # DGP/PA/GENL/2009/164) asked Mumbai Crime Branch C.P. Shivanandan and Joint CP RakeshMaria to look into the matter in urgent manner.

However instead of recording her statement and registering an FIR against theguilty police officers in the Mumbai Anti Corruption office- the Mumbai policemen allegedly embarked on a deliberate cover-up operation and under one pretext or another refused to meet her – knowing fully well that she was to leave India three days later around 9^th July 2009.

In around August 2009- without any obvious reason DCP Mr.Dombre, DCP Mr. Satam and DCP Mr. Raja Pawar working on the anti-corruption case werereplaced one after another. The greatest irony is her father’s murderers & her brothers & her abusers are still roaming free.                                                                                                                                                                                                             Meanwhile the Indian Embassy officials in Washington D.C. allegedly fed false information to U.S. Homeland security department about Jyoti Ghag. She was accused of being a terrorist planning to commit suicide outside the Indian Embassy.Jyoti filed a petition in the Bombay High Court before Chief Justice Mohit Shah. The Ministry of External Affairs accepted their wrong doing in Chief Justice's Court in Mumbai and issued an apology letter to Jyoti Ghag and US Homeland Security Department. However instead of handing over that apology letter to Jyoti Chief Justice Mohit Shah allegedly threatened Jyoti in open court stating that if she doesn't surrender her compensation request, he will keep the apology letter in his custody. Jyoti filed a complaint against Shah before the President of India in October 2012. The President of India ordered the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra to investigate her complaint in a time binding manner. 

Till date noting is known about the outcome of this letter.

Meanwhile Jyoti has come out with a book Jyoti@CorruptionRoko - a truly inspiring account of a loving mom, wife and a caring daughter, sister who defies all odds against the police and Judiciary to get justice. 

If its a crime to ask for the law to take action against those those who murdered her father, abused her and her brothers-- she is guilty.