Maharashtra Chief Minister Clears Pune Police Officials in Firearm Licence Investigation
In a significant development, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has officially stated that no irregularities were detected in the 433 firearm licences issued during the tenures of Amitabh Gupta and Jalinder Supekar as Pune police commissioner and additional commissioner, respectively. This declaration was made through a written reply submitted to the state legislative assembly.
Assembly Question and Official Response
The Chief Minister's written reply was presented on July 8, 2025, in response to a starred question raised by BJP MLA Suresh Dhas on July 4, 2025. Both the question and the detailed answer were formally tabled during the recently concluded session of the Maharashtra state legislature.
In his comprehensive response, CM Fadnavis explicitly stated, "A total of 433 firearm licences were issued during Supekar and Gupta's tenure in Pune. The licensing authorities were found to have adhered to all the terms, conditions and provisions of the Arms Act, 1959, and the Arms Rules, 2016, while issuing these licences."
Background of the Investigation
This official clearance comes after Chief Minister Fadnavis had announced during his visit to Pune on May 30, 2025 that "all gun licences issued by the Pune police will be reviewed. If any foul play is found in the paperwork to obtain these licences, the same will be cancelled."
The announcement for this comprehensive review was prompted by the controversial case involving the Hagawane brothers — Shashank and Sushil — who were arrested in the Vaishnavi Hagawane dowry death case. The Pune police had cancelled firearm licences issued to them in November 2022 after it was discovered that a friend of Hagawane had allegedly obtained the licence by providing misleading residential documents.
This friend reportedly had multiple criminal cases registered against him, yet still managed to secure a firearm licence, raising serious questions about the licensing process and necessitating the broader review announced by the Chief Minister.
Reactions from Former Officials
While repeated attempts by media outlets to contact former commissioner Amitabh Gupta for comment went unanswered, former additional commissioner Jalinder Supekar expressed satisfaction with the findings. Supekar stated, "The truth has come out. We had followed all the norms."
The thorough investigation and subsequent clearance confirm that the licensing authorities in Pune operated within the legal framework established by the Arms Act and its accompanying rules during the period in question.
