Besides Ashok Chavan and Jairaj Phatak, 11 other top bureaucrats, defence personnel and politicians make it to the list; former Congress MLC Gidwani named main conspirator
Besides Ashok Chavan and Jairaj Phatak, 11 other top bureaucrats, defence personnel and politicians make it to the list; former Congress MLC Gidwani named main conspirator
After 10 weeks of conducting an independent probe in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam, the Central Bureau of investigation registered an FIR on Saturday before a special court against 13 persons, includingu00a0 prominent politicians, bureaucrats and defense personnel, under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and for forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.
Ex chief minister Ashok Chavan, whose family members were allotted flats in the housing society intended for Kargil widows, is allegedly named in the FIR.
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R C Thakur, chief promoter of Adarsh Housing Society and former defense estate officer, Major General MM Wanchu (retired), president of the society, and Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, former Congress MLC, who was a co-promoter of the society, have been named main conspirators in the FIR.
"We have registered an FIR but we cannot disclose the names of people mentioned in the FIR," said Joint Director of CBI Rishi Raj Singh.
Speaking to Sunday MiD DAY, Phatak said, "I got to know from media reports that my name figures in the FIR. I can only say that the matter is sub judice and I will respect the verdict of the court."
Tiwari was not available for comment. The Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society was intended to be a six-storey building for widows of armymen who died in the Kargil war. It was converted into a 100 m high rise and came up in 2003.
At first, it was found that the 6,490-metre sq land on which the building came up belonged to the Army even though No Objection Certificates had been issued by key army personnel (see box) stating that the land was not in military possession. What's more, the society was found to violate Coastal Regulation Zone norms.
Instead of housing war widows, the three bedroom flats had been allotted to relatives of Chavan, including his late mother-in-law. Former Army chiefs Deepak Kapoor and N C Vij and former Navy chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh also possessed flats in the building, which they had paid between Rs 60 to Rs 85 lakh for. A flat would actually have cost between Rs 6 and Rs 8.5 crore since it was built on prime land in Colaba.
The scam led to the resignation of Ashok Chavan, and many allottees returned their flats. Defence authorities have initiated a parallel probe into the role of its officers involved in the scam.
The CBI list of 13
Names that figure in the FIR, according to sources:
> Ashok Chavan, ex CM
> Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, ex Congress MLC
> P V Deshmukh, former Urban Development deputy secretary
> I A Kundan and Pradeep Vyas, city collectors
> Ramanand Tiwariu00a0
> Subhash Lalla, Ex Human Rights Commissioner
> Jairaj Phatak, former Municipal Commissioner
> Maj Gen A R Kumar (retd)
> Brig Ramesh Chandra Sharma (retd)
> Brig Pitamber Kishore Rampal
> Maj Gen MM Wanchu (retd)
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