A magistrate court in Mumbai has rejected a police closure report on a complaint filed against BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil, which sought an investigation into funds they collected as part of a campaign to restore INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier.

The closure report was submitted by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) following a complaint lodged by a former serviceman, Baban Bhosale, in 2022. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate S.P. Shinde directed the police to conduct further investigation, emphasizing that it was necessary to determine what happened to the funds.

INS Vikrant, commissioned in 1961, played a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war before being decommissioned in 1997.

Background of the Case

In 2022, Bhosale filed a cheating complaint against Somaiya and his son at the Trombay Police Station. He alleged that in 2013, Somaiya launched a campaign to collect donations to save INS Vikrant from being scrapped, setting up donation boxes across Mumbai. Somaiya had promised to hand over the collected funds to the Governor of Maharashtra. Bhosale himself contributed Rs 2,000, given the significance of INS Vikrant.

However, in 2014, Bhosale discovered that INS Vikrant had been scrapped and auctioned for Rs 57 crore. He later filed a complaint alleging that Somaiya had raised over Rs 57 crore to save the ship and demanded an account of the funds. Bhosale further claimed that while Somaiya had tweeted about writing to the Governor regarding the donations, the Governor’s office confirmed it had received no money.

Police Closure Report

The EOW filed a C-summary closure report in August 2023, concluding that the case fell under the category of “neither true nor false” and was based on a misunderstanding. The investigating officer reported that during a one-hour donation drive at Churchgate Station, only Rs 10,000 was collected, making it impossible for Rs 57 crore to have been raised. The officer added that Somaiya had attempted to hand over Rs 11,000 to the Governor, but the latter was unavailable.

Court’s Decision

The magistrate court, however, rejected the closure report and ruled that further investigation was necessary. The court noted that the police had failed to investigate the full amount collected by Somaiya and Neil during the donation drives. The court also pointed out that the investigating officer had not produced any documents showing the funds were deposited with the Governor’s office or the government.

The court emphasized that donation drives were held in other locations besides Churchgate and criticized the investigating officer for not recording statements from donors in those areas. The court has now ordered the police to continue their investigation.

Somaiya’s Role in the BJP

Kirit Somaiya, who served as a BJP MP from Mumbai North-East between 2014 and 2019, has gained prominence in recent years for his allegations of scams and corruption against leaders from Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress, who were part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government from 2019 to 2022. His allegations include those against Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut over a redevelopment project, which led to Raut’s arrest before he was granted bail.

Following the court’s rejection of the closure report, Raut tweeted, “Satyamev Jayate, Hisaab toh Dena hi Padega” (Truth prevails. One must account for one’s deeds), echoing a phrase Somaiya often uses when accusing opposition leaders.