Mumbai’s Adarsh society to be razed to the ground after HC orders

The Bombay High Court on Friday, legislated bulldozing of Adarsh society, located in South Mumbai’s Colaba, the crux of 2011 scandal during Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s tenure.

The High Court also ordered the Union Government of India and the state government to consider initiating appropriate proceedings against bureaucrats, politicians and ministers for “committing various offences in acquiring the plots” on which the society has been constructed and for misuse and abuse of power.

Adarsh is a 31-storey block, whose apartments were to be allotted for war veterans and widows, but were reportedly embezzled by politicians and bureaucrats.

Then Chief Minister Ashok Chavan was ousted the same year, after it came into picture that three of his kindred had also been given under-priced apartments in the building.

Now, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently assented action against Mr Chavan, who is a parliamentarian representing Nanded.

In a probe in 2013, a judicial commission learnt that 25 of the 102 members in the society were ineligible and there were 22 cases of flats being acquired on proxies.

The inquiry also stated that Mr Chavan and other bureaucrats gave clearances as a ‘quid pro quo’, but the then governor had not approved the prosecution owing to insufficient evidences.

– by Isha Kulkarni with inputs from Hindustan Times  

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