Warning of serious consequences, Fadnavis said, “Apart from the validity, it will set in process political upmanship. Anybody from Maharashtra can use this precedent to file a Zero FIR against the CM of Karnataka.”Flaying the Karnataka government for allowing registration of a Zero FIR in a Bengaluru police station related to the air accident of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that it was an attempt to malign the image of Maharashtra.Fadnavis told the state legislative Assembly on Wednesday, “Technically, Karnataka had no right to allow the Zero FIR in the case. It was a political ploy. They should have guided NCP (MLA) Rohit Pawar against it. It is evident that they wanted to tarnish the image of Maharashtra. It was aimed at creating a perception that the Ajit Pawar accident case was not being pursued which is factually incorrect.”According to Fadnavis, “A Zero FIR is allowed only in cases where the victim is helpless and unable to reach the local police station. In this case such situation does not arise.”The Chief Minister’s detailed response came during the reply to a motion mooted by the opposition in Assembly last week.Warning of serious consequences, Fadnavis said, “Apart from the validity, it will set in process political upmanship. Anybody from Maharashtra can use this precedent to file a Zero FIR against the CM of Karnataka.”Explaining the legal aspects, Fadnavis said, “In Maharashtra, immediately after the airplane crash, multiple agencies and appropriate authorities initiated the investigations. We also urged the Centre to conduct a CBI investigation in the case. There is a probe by CID in the state. The DGCA is probing the matter. The purpose of the FIR is to set the law in motion. But in the present case, the investigation according to laid norms is already initiated.”The case has been registered as accidental death report (ADR). Through investigation if some foul play or negligence comes to light, ADR will automatically get converted into FIR during the chargesheet which is important, Fadnavis said.Story continues below this adFrom CCTV footage, it is evident that Ajit Pawar boarded the flight from his residence Devgiti in Mumbai airport at the scheduled time.The forensic reports (including DNA/Vicera) have ruled out alcohol, poison or illegal carriage of extra fuel in the aircraft. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau report pointed out that visibility was 3,000 metres instead of the mandated 5,000 metres. The pilot Sumit Kapoor was suspended in 2010 and 2017 because he failed the alcohol test. After that he was subjected to training in the US. And only after rectification he was allowed to fly. In the post-mortem report, it is cited that the cause of death of Ajit Pawar and four others was due to multiple injuries and burn injuries. The viscera of those dead and their relatives have been matched. However, there were no traces of poison or alcohol found in anyone.The aircraft, which was hired by Ajit Pawar, is a 2010 model with an airworthiness valid certificate. The operation of the VSR company has a fleet of 16 aircraft and 20 pilots.The aircraft was booked on January 27. The operation team had made allotment of pilot Sahil Madan and co-pilot Yash same night. But the pilot complained of a stomach problem and sought an evening slot instead of morning. Accordingly, the pilot was replaced with Sumit Kapoor and co-pilot Sambhavi Pathak the same night.