Maharashtra government suspends archaeology department director implicated in bribery case | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has suspended Tejas Madan Garge, director of the Maharashtra Archaeological Institute and Museums, for his alleged involvement in a bribery case being investigated by the Nashik division of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). In addition to the suspension, the government has directed the division to examine Garge’s recent decisions and devise a strategy to curb corrupt practices.

Last month, the ACB’s Nashik unit booked Deputy Director Aarti Aley, 41, while she was taking a bribe of ₹1.5 lakh at her residence. During investigation, the agency found evidence of Garge’s involvement, who has since become a fugitive and has applied to the court for interim bail. Questions have been raised over the delay in action against Garge, whose duties have already been transferred to another officer.

On Tuesday, Culture Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar signed the file for Garge’s suspension with retrospective effect from May 16. “The orders were issued by the culture department today. An internal departmental inquiry will also be initiated against him,” a culture department official said.

According to the lawsuit, Aley allegedly demanded bribes amounting to ₹1.5 lakh to issue a no-objection certificate for a factory in Nashik that the complainant wanted to start for extracting oil from rubber tyres. The ACB caught Aley red-handed while she was accepting the bribe at her residence in Nashik. The ACB unit made Aley call Garge to inform him about the money and he instructed her to keep the cash with her. The NOC was released by the head office in Mumbai, which is headed by Garge.

The ACB did not arrest Aley on humanitarian grounds because she had given birth just eight days before the raid in the second week of May. Both Aley and Garge were charged with bribery.

When asked about the delay, Mungantiwar said, “It was not a deliberate delay but there were administrative reasons. I was busy with the Lok Sabha elections and our principal secretary was abroad. We have now taken action and also corrective measures to avoid such things in future.”

Meanwhile, in a letter to the culture department, Mungantiwar has ordered an audit of the decisions taken by Garge and Aley in recent years. “Also, the NOCs issued by these officials should be audited. A committee of inquiry should be set up to bring more transparency into the affairs of the department,” the letter said.