RTI helps family to fight fraud daughter-in-law

Sept 30, 2010

In 2007, Tejashree Mahesh Kalge, a bank employee consumed poison and tried to commit suicide alleging harassment from her in-laws. Her father Haribhau Prabhavalkar, former deputy mayor of Kolhapur, filed a case against his daugther’s in-laws.

After this, Tejashree’s in-laws were in jail for 21 days. Upon their return from jail, they noticed that their house was ransacked and jewellery was missing.

Following this, Tejashree’s in-laws rushed to the police station, but the police refused to file it. In the meanwhile, the family was relieved from Tejashree’s first case of abetment to suicided filed against them.

The Kalge family had to run pillar to post for two long years to get an FIR filed and it was only after they found out, through a Right to Information (RTI) petition, that the doctor who examined Tejashree and issued a medical certificate at the time of her suicide attempt was an Ayurvedic practitioner, who cannot issue these certificates.
The Kalge family then filed a private case through their lawyer in February this year.

Finally, on September 18, the Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Rajan Gunjekar directed the police to file a case against Tejashree Mahesh Kalge, her parents, relatives, two doctors and some 20 people in all.

Additionally, Tejashree’s father-in-law Subhanrao (70) and his married daughter Meera (36) have filed a case of molestation against Tejashree, her father Haribhau and the doctors who examined her.

On Tuesday, the Chinchwad police filed a case of rioting, dacoity, filing a false case, punishment for robbery, criminal conspiracy, assault, roiting, wrongful restraint, molestation, attempt to suicide, fabricating evidence in a judicial proceeding, house trespassing and criminal intimidation against the 20 accused.

Subhanrao says, “We have been running around to file a case for the last two years. We even approached the District General of Police of Maharashtra, who even directed the police to lodge a case, but nothing was done. So, we had to file a private case through our lawyer Sanjay Kadu.”

Subhanrao recalls, “On December 20, 2007, Tejashree consumed poison and soon my wife took her to a private hospital and informed us. What made her take that step is still unclear.

Later the police came and arrested us. We were in jail for 21 days. We don’t want revenge, but our name has been tarnished and we want to know the truth.”

Explaining how RTI helped him, Subhanrao added, “We learnt from the forensic department that not even an inch of poison was found in her body. Her reports were normal. The police took no time to arrest us, but now they haven’t made a single arrest.”

Inspector incharge of Chinchwad police Mahesh Joshi said, “Till now, we have not made any arrests but are investigating all possible angles.” When contacted Tejashree flatly denied the allegations.