Nagpur: Nearly four decades after criminal and civil cases were initiated against officers of the Maharashtra State Handloom Corporation (MSHC), a court verdict acquitting them revived allegations that the decline of state’s traditional handloom industry was the result of a “conspiracy and deliberate interference by certain senior govt officials”.Suresh Dhole, one of the officers acquitted, alleged that events during 1986-87 “severely tarnished the image” of MSHC, whose headquarters were then in Nagpur, with branches across divisional centres. Briefing the media here, he said a conflict erupted between directly recruited MSHC officers and govt officials appointed on deputation, who allegedly sought key posts within the institution.The dispute, he said, escalated into allegations against several officers. “Sincere and competent officers were deliberately defamed,” Dhole said, adding that the controversy eroded public trust and reduced MSHC market share.Dhole and others faced criminal and civil proceedings pending for nearly 39 years, during which they endured “mental, social and financial distress” until retirement. The court ultimately acquitted the directly recruited officers, holding that the allegations were false.Dhole alleged that officials from the directorate of handloom conspired in the matter and that pressure was exerted by senior authorities to install preferred candidates in MSHC. He claimed the prolonged episode dealt a severe blow to Maharashtra’s traditional handloom sector, pushing it “to the verge of collapse”.No official response from the directorate of handloom was immediately available.
