Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said the police have given a clean chit to former forest minister and rebel MLA Sanjay Rathod in TikTok star Pooja Chavan’s suicide case.
Shinde was speaking to mediapersons at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi.
Asked if Rathod, who was charged in the suicide case, would be considered in the upcoming Cabinet expansion, Shinde said, “The police has given clean chit to Rathod.” In the recent rebellion within the Sena, Rathod has sided with the Shinde faction.
The Sena MLA from Digras Assembly constituency in Yavatmal, Rathod was the minister for forest in the former Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
He had resigned as minister on February 28, 2021, after he came under the scanner for Chavan’s death on February 7.
There were allegations that Rathod was in a relationship with Chavan, both of whom hail from the tribal Banjara community.
Chavan had come to Pune to attend an educational course. She is suspected to have died by suicide by jumping from the first floor of her building.
Later, her purported photographs with Rathod and around 12 audio clips surfaced, which went viral on social media.
Then Opposition BJP, led by now Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, was in the forefront demanding Rathod’s arrest.