While the Maharashtra government made a perfunctory show of accepting the Adarsh report on Thursday, it turns out that its own urban development ministry has filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court to say that former chief minister Ashok Chavan’s mother-in-law owned a flat in the upmarket Hiranandani complex in Powai under the chief minister’s discretionary quota in 2001, a fact that was concealed when she was allotted Adarsh society membership.
That his mother-in-law Bhagvati Manoharlal Sharma was beneficiary of a flat in Adarsh was the very reason Chavan lost his chief ministership in 2010. The double-sanctioning of flats to her would compound the irregularities on Chavan’s part, as the Powai flat had been sanctioned by former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh while Chavan was revenue minister in his government. Also, according to government rules, an individual may be allocated no more than one flat under government schemes.
The flat in Kingston Apartment in Powai was allotted to Sharma under the “acute need of space” category, meant for someone who has no accommodation and is in desperate need of a residence.
The affidavit, submitted by Shriram Yadav, under-secretary in the state’s urban development department, means that the state government has accepted the fact of allotment of a flat in Powai to Sharma under the CM’s quota.
“I was not the chief minister when she was allotted the flat. I didn’t recommend her name. Actually, I don’t remember much about this case,” Chavan told Mumbai Mirror on Thursday.
The affidavit was filed on December 21 in response to a PIL by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar. The PIL questioned the multiple allotment of flats to kin of politicians and bureaucrats in the state under the chief minister’s discretionary quota.
Ashok Chavan, former chief minister as well as revenue minister of Maharashtra, was indicted by the judicial commission appointed to hold an inquiry into the allotment of flats in Colaba’s Adarsh housing society. The commission’s report said Chavan and some bureaucrats indulged in quid pro quo while giving permissions and clearances for the project and drawing up the list of allottees.
Three of Chavan’s relatives – mother-in-law Bhagvati Sharma, sister- in-law Seema Sharma and father-in-law’s brother Madanlal Sharma –figured in the list of Adarsh beneficiaries. Chavan’s closest friend Jayant Shah’s son Malav also got a flat in the controversial society.
The commission included their names in the list of 25 members (out of a total of 102 members) found completely ineligible for membership.
Meanwhile, the CBI, which is investigating the corruption aspect of the Adarsh scam, has been asking for sanction to prosecute Chavan, a request recently rejected by Governor K Sankaranarayanan.
The commission report also said the Adarsh scheme enjoyed political patronage from the late Vilasrao Deshmukh, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and NCP ministers Sunil Tatkare and Rajesh Tope.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-03/mumbai/45834664_1_madanlal-sharma-adarsh-scam-adarsh-report