The first 'missing' letter , that was not placed
in the AGM of The Press Club, Mumbai on
July 27 ,2007 by the managing committee
despite request from the floor to know about
the 'latest' letter from Mr Nandi.
Mr Devendra Mohan
Chairman
The Press Club Mumbai
Azad Maidan
Mahapalika Marg
MUMBAI – 400 001 May 14, 2007
Dear Mr Chairman,
I am flabbergasted at your letter dated May 9, 2007 in
which you have incorrectly blamed the 3-member committee
for delaying the Probe into an alleged violent incident
involving Club member Renni Abraham and Club Secretary
Gurbir Singh, which took place on the night of August 3, 2006.
The following is my response to your said letter:
1) I have brought to the notice of Press Club president Pradip
Vijayakar from time to time about various difficulties being
faced by this committee in carrying out the probe, and
sought his intervention.
2)Given that I have marked all copies of my letter written to
the president, to you as well, you must be equally aware of
the problems faced by us in going ahead with the probe.
That being the fact of the matter, I am rather appalled to
receive a letter from you in which you have blamed the
probe committee unnecessarily.
3) In your letter, you have referred to an earlier letter
written by the Club Treasurer Rajesh Mascernhas to the
committee. You may kindly note that if the committee had
not chosen to act upon the contents of the letter written by
Mr Mascernhas per se suo-moto, it was because I was not
sure about the possibility of President having authorized him
to write such a letter nor had Mr Mascernhas mentioned in
his letter to that effect. Similarly, considering that the
Chairman had not addressed the letter to me, I was also not
sure about the Managing Committee having deliberated on
the issue and then authorized Mr Mascernhas to send the letter.
4) Now that you in your capacity as the Chairman written to me
after the deliberations on the issue by the Managing Committee
at its meeting on May 7, 2007, I have duly chosen to respond to you.
5) Significantly, you have stated in your letter that “the Managing
Committee at its meeting held on May 07, 2007 has decided to
complete the enquiry by the end of the month.” In continuation,
you have also given the Probe Committee 7 days’ time to inform
the Managing Committee as to whether we will be able to complete
the same within the deadline now stipulated by you –which in effect
would mean mere 15 days.
On one hand, you have chosen to blame the Probe committee for
its no fault and on the other,going by the above diktat, you have
chosen to rush through the probe for reasons best known to you.
6) On your contention that the Committee has adopted a casual
approach failed to submit its report eight months after its
appointment, let me refresh your memory of various initiatives
taken by our committee to go ahead with its task: We had
scheduled inquiry hearings beginning from November 3, 2006,
and had formally intimated both the accused and witnesses vide
our letter dated October 26, 2006. However, we had
to defer the hearings a day before the scheduled start of hearings
as the Club administration failed to provide secretarial help – a fact
which we intimated to all the concerned vide our letter dated
November 2, 2006.
7) Another factor which came as a surprise for the committee was
that even before the start of the inquiry hearings, two of the three
accused raised objections to the charge-sheets issued against them.
You may kindly note that I as the Convenor of the Probe Committee
had to spend considerable time replying to letters from the accused.
8) You can realize from the above facts that the Committee did not
delay the probe as you are suggesting in your said letter. You
should realize that the assignment handed to the Probe Committee
is of honorary nature, which we in the committee are executing it
taking time out of our professional occupation, and that the
Committee does not stand to gain anything by delaying the Probe.
9) While appreciating your assurance to extend “all reasonable
requests for secretarial help” to the Probe Committee, I have to state
that there are several issues that still remain to be sorted out. For
instance, the time-frame set by you for the Committee to complete
the (within the month of May 2007) is inadequate considering the
sensitive nature of the probe and the unpleasant experience we had
in making initial preparations for the probe.
We would appreciate if you could extend the deadline for completion
of the probe, as our committee is yet to begin hearings. Also, it would
be befitting on your part to grant at least two to three months to
complete the probe in fair and just manner.
10) If we in the Committee had, right in the beginning, sought a
stenographer’s help to take the notes of the Inquiry proceedings,
it was because that neither we wanted to misrepresent the oral
evidence provided by the accused and witnesses during the hearings
nor did we expect a situation wherein any of those deposing before
the Committee going back subsequently on their statements made
during the hearings. I, as the convenor of the committee, had taken
this precaution of having a stenographer at hand, owing to the fact
that this inquiry of an unprecedented nature wherein the secretary
of the Club is one of the accused.
11) Let me bring it to your notice that I am still to receive a
clarification from the Club President as to whether one of the
Probe Committe members, Dr.G.C.Banik can continue in the
Committee, in view of the fact that he was an associate member of
the Club and that he retired from his service at VSNL on December 31,
2006. Now that the financial year 2007 is also over, I would like to get a
clarification from you as well: Does he (Dr Banik) still continue to be an
associate member of the Press Club and, if yes, on what grounds?
12) While I vehemently deny that the Committee has adopted a casual
approach in dealing with the probe, I would like to inform you that if the
Committee chose not to seek an extension of deadline for completing the
probe earlier, it was because I was keeping both the Club’s President and
Chairman – from time to time – abreast of what is going on with regard to
the Inquiry.
13) You are also aware that how difficult it would’ve been for the
Committee to conduct proceedings at the Press Club in the recent past
given that the entire portion of the Club except for the conference room
has been demolished. Besides, the Managing Committee and the
Membership Scrutiny committee used to have their meetings at the
Conference room during week-ends (Saturdays).
14) I hope I have clarified the matter succinctly as required at this
stage.
I am confident that the Managing Committee with you at the helm
would heed to the Probe Committee’s request for extending the probe
deadline by two to three months and providing a venue, where the
Committee could function without any hindrance. Simultaneously,
I also look forward to your clarification as to the status of Dr Banik
in the Probe Committee.
I remain,
Suresh Nandi
Convenor
3-member Probe Committee
CC: the President Pradip Vijayakar
And now we are posting another important letter on this blog which ,
intriguingly , is reportedly missing from the record of probe panel as
Jatin Desai told one of the 'witness' on December 8,2007 that he was
not aware of this letter.
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October 26, 2006
Sub: Inquiry into incident involving Mr Renni Abraham and
Secretary Gurbir Singh on 03, 2006
We, the 3-member Inquiry committee, “summon” you for deposition before
us in connection with the above mentioned Inquiry at the Conference Hall of
Press Club..
Here goes below the schedule of hearings involving all of you:
November 03, 2006 at 1300 hours : 1. Manager Ahmed Koya
2. Rajesh Mascarenhas
November 04, 2006 at 1300 hours : 1. Sai Prasan
2. Vispy Beheram
3.RambhauKamlakarChunekar(SecurityGuard
the Club gate on the night of August 03, 2006)
November 06, 2006 at 1300 hours :
1. C.P.Jha
2. Ommen Ninan
(Both desirous to depose before Inquiry Panel
strictly under its terms of reference.)
It is essential that all of you stick to the above mentioned schedule and to facilitate the
Inquiry panel to its task
While on the subject, both Mr Koya and Mr Beheram are requested to ensure that
the above summons are served to the persons concerned immediately. They are also
hereby directed to ensure the presence of Security Guard R.K.Chunekar before the
panel at the above mentioned date and time.
Please note that all the concerned, excepting those who have no email ids,
are being served summons through email simultaneously. The Club managers
should ensure delivery of these summons to the concerned persons at their
office or residence.
Yours truly,
Suresh Nandi
Convenor – Inquiry Committee
Rajesh Mascarenhas
Sai Prasan
Vispy Beheram
R K Chunekar (Security Guard)
C.P.Jha
Ommen Ninan
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