Kurdukar commission, the Maharashtra government-appointed panel probing the Dabhol power project fiasco, ruled on Monday that it has the jurisdiction to hear matters pertaining to central approvals for the multi-billion-rupee venture of the US company Enron.
Former Maharashtra chief minister Sharad Pawar, former secretary to the state N Raghunathan, and former Union cabinet secretary S Rajagopalan had challenged the jurisdiction of Kurdukar commission of enquiry headed by Justice S P Kurdukar.
Interestingly, Manohar Joshi and Gopinath Munde, former chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively, had supported the jurisdiction of Kurdukar commission.
Justice Kurdukar rejected, prima facie, the plea of Pawar, Raghunathan and Rajagopalan opposing the commission on the principle of Resjudicata (duplicity of matter).
They had pleaded that matter decided in one court cannot be raised in another court and hence the commission's functioning was marred by principle of resjudicata.
Justice Kurdukar rejected of the notification appointing him as the head of the commission to probe the legality of DPC project.
The commission also decided to commence proceedings from March 31 and directed all parties to help it in making a list of witnesses by then.