Mumbai, March 15: Anil Gote, the MLA from Dhule who is in jail for his role in the fake stamp paper scam, has put the government in a spot.

One of the first politicians to be arrested for his alleged links with scam mastermind Abdul Karim Telgi, Gote has demanded that he be allowed to attend the Assembly as it is his “constitutional right… as a representative of his constituency”.

The government is worried about what he might reveal in the House — the MLA has been threatening that he has a lot to say as the special investigation team (SIT) is “hiding much”.

The SIT, too, is in two minds about allowing Gote to attend the session.

Bombay High Court, hearing Gote’s petition for interim bail, today said the team must provide tapes of the conversations the legislator allegedly had with Telgi over telephone.

Only then can it decide whether Gote should be allowed to attend the Assembly session, it observed.

The court wants to see what prima facie evidence the SIT has against Gote, known for his links with both Telgi and some of the most powerful politicians in the state.

The conversations, according to the SIT, were recorded by Karnataka police in 2000 when Telgi was in a Bangalore jail.

The tapes have reportedly been handed over to the investigators in Mumbai.

Mumbai police opposed Gote’s bail plea, saying he might tamper with evidence or blurt out classified information on the ongoing probe in the Assembly.

“We may not be able to restrict his speech and expression in the House and this may hamper investigations,” government prosecutor Raja Thakre said.

Gote has been charged with using his political connections to get Telgi licence for stamp paper vending.

He has also been accused of having used his position as a legislator to help Telgi expand his illegal empire by “protecting” the scam kingpin.