India, April 24 -- In a significant development in the Rs.323.40-crore Bank of Maharashtra fraud case linked to fugitive diamantaire Jatin Mehta, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has ruled that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by public servants and allowed the case to proceed purely as a private fraud matter.

By an order passed on Thursday, special judge Dr J P Darekar permitted the CBI to move the case out of the anti-corruption framework after the agency informed the court that its investigation had not found any incriminating material against government officials. This effectively removes charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and limits the case to offences such as cheating and criminal conspiracy unde...