28 November,2010 12:57 AM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
Advocate and Adarsh whistleblower YP Singh believes that the theft of sensitive papers pertaining to the scam may weaken the case
The Marine Drive police have lodged a case of theft on Friday, against unknown culprits, pertaining to sensitive Adarsh scam documents that have gone missing from the Urban Development (UD) department of Mantralaya.
The case was filed based on a complaint received from Gurudatt Vajpe (46) on behalf of the state government.
According to the Marine Drive police, Vajpe, who works in the UD department, has stated in his complaint that four pages have gone missing from a particular file belonging to the Adarsh Society.
The complainant finally brought the matter to the notice of his superiors, who advised him to lodge a police complaint.
Interestingly, the theft has come to light at a time when the Anti-Corruption Wing of the CBI, Mumbai unit, has already begun its probe into the Adarsh Scam. Senior CBI officials had recently met State Chief Secretary JP Dange asking for documents pertaining to Adarsh to be handed over for investigation.
Speaking to Sunday MiD DAY, a senior police officer supervising the case said, "We suspect the role of an insider since it seems that the suspect had thorough knowledge of the file and was particular about stealing only certain pages, not the entire file."
Advocate YP Singh, also a whistleblower in the scam, suspects that the missing papers might pertain to sensitive decisions taken by the UD Deputy Secretary, Principal Secretary and the Chief Minister related to reducing the width of the road whereu00a0 the Adarsh plot was created. The papers may have details pertaining to the transfer of the BEST plot FSI to Adarsh without mandatory approval of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority.
When asked if such tampering may affect the case, Singh said, "Usually, these pages have remarks from various officials, which reflect the orders and are crucial evidence to nail concerned babus and ministers involved. The missing pages may weaken the prosecution case since it will become difficult to nail the suspect with documentary evidence."
A senior CBI officer supervising the probe told Sunday Mid Day, "Our case is at an inquiry level. We will register a case against the accused only when we have sufficient evidence."
Meanwhile YP Singh has already moved a petition in Bombay High Court asking for a full-fledged probe into the Adarsh scam by CBI under the supervision of the court. The matter will come up for hearing on November 30.u00a0
