'88 people granted Freedom Fighter status on false grounds'

An RTI activist here alleged that the Maharashtra government has granted 'Freedom Fighter' status to as many as 88 people in the state in violation of the set norms and has sought reversal of the decision.
The reply furnished in response to an RTI query by activist Anil Galgali said that the state government accorded Freedom Fighter status to 88 people, from January 1 to June 15 this year, on the basis of various attachment warrants (a document issued to them during the British rule) admitted as proof of their participation in the freedom struggle.
The activist alleged that this was a "flawed" and "corrupt" act, as a commission constituted by the previous government in the state had rendered void the said system of identification.

"This was in complete contravention to the General Resolution (GR) issued by the previous state government, that had constituted Justice Palkar Commission on the recommendation of the Supreme Court," Galgali said.
As per the reply by the Under Secretary of General Administration Department (GAD) H J Rasal, the decision to honour with Freedom Fighter status was taken on the basis of various Attachment Warrants.
The decision to grant the status, which would make these 88 people eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 10,000, was taken without approval or recommendation of the respective District Felicitation Committees (DFCs), the reply stated.

Terming this as a "scam", the activist added, "The case of (one) Prabhu Laxman Sanap was one such example when the attachment warrants produced by him to get Freedom Fighter status were found to be fraudulent, that had led to his claim being rejected by the government on November 25, 2002."

"Despite this precedent being present in the records, the Devendra Fadnavis government showed complete favouritism, bypassed laid down procedures and granted Freedom Fighter status to 88 people, which is a clear case of corruption," Galgali alleged.
The activist has also written a letter to the Chief Minister demanding action on the alleged irregularities committed by the GAD.

"Such irregularities are grave in nature and lead to corruption. Hence, the said sanctions should be revoked and criminal cases should be filed against those responsible," he demanded.