Thaindian News

Mumbai, March 24 (IANS) In a setback to Congress heavyweight and Industries Minister Narayan Rane, the Bombay High Court Thursday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe his son Nitesh Rane’s alleged involvement in a shooting incident.

Nitesh, who heads NGO Swabhiman Sanghatana, has been accused of firing at Shamim alias Chintu Shaikh, a former aide, in his office in Khar last September.

Shaikh had filed the complaint against Nitesh with the Mumbai police, which transferred it to the Mumbai Crime Branch, but he moved the Bombay High Court demanding a CBI probe.

He contended that Rane’s father, a senior Congress leader and a cabinet minister in the state government, was allegedly interfering in the investigations.

A division bench of Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice A.R. Joshi granted Shaikh’s plea and directed the CBI to take over the investigations into the case.

On Sep 23 last year, Shaikh had gone to meet Nitesh at the Sanghatana’s office in Khar.

There, the duo reportedly had an argument over some issue after which Nitesh allegedly whipped out a revolver and fired at Shaikh.

The bullets grazed Shaikh’s cheek, and he ran outside, got into a vehicle and went all the way to Powai, Andheri east, and got himself admitted to the Hiranandani Hospital.

Later, he lodged a police complaint and the case was transferred to the Crime Branch in early October.

A month later, Nov 12, the crime branch cleared Nitesh of the charges against him, saying that no witnesses had testified against him.