Adarsh case: Pressure on Maha govt to initiate action against babus

Pressure is mounting on the Maharashtra government to take action against bureaucrats and officials for their alleged involvement in the Adarsh society scam.

Ministers in the Prithviraj Chavan-led led cabinet got a shot in their arm following the Bombay High Court observation that everyone who cleared the files was gifted a flat. The Shiv Sena has also stepped up its demand for action against officials.

Chief Minister Chavan has already announced a probe under the Commission of Inquiry Act into the Adarsh scam and the Central Bureau of Investigations and the Army are carrying out independent inquiries.

However, the government is yet to appoint the two-member commission comprising a retired judge of the Supreme Court or the Bombay High Court and a retired official of the rank of chief secretary. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has announced that the bureaucrats and officials will face action and they will not be spared.

Preliminary findings have revealed that senior defence personnel, bureaucrats and politicians had allegedly formed a nexus to get flats in the building meant for the widows of Kargil war heroes.

The government has sent notices to 12 top bureaucrats, who own flats in the Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai, asking them to respond to allegations of a breach of conduct of civil service rules.

The bureaucrats who have been issued notices include former BMC chief Jairaj Phatak, former urban development secretary and the incumbent information commissioner Ramanand Tiwari, former urban development deputy secretary PV Deshmukh, former chief secretary DK Shankaran, former agriculture secretary Shivajirao Deshmukh and Human Rights Commission member Subhash Lala.

Sons and daughters of all the officials have a flat at Adarsh. Some of the officers have already sent their replies to the government. At least five bureaucrats, who were contacted, declined to comment on the issue.

A senior Congress minister, requesting anonymity, told Business Standard: “It is ironical that Ashok Chavan had to step down as the chief minister in the wake of the expose on the Adarsh scam. His mistake was that three of his relatives have flats in the Adarsh society. However, it is disappointing that despite Bombay High Court’s snub, the government has not taken action against the concerned bureaucrats and officials.”

“To begin with, Tiwari and Lala must immediately be removed from their present posts and severe action against them should be initiated under the civil services rules,” he said.

Currently, the high court is hearing a petition filed by the members of Adarsh society challenging the suspension of occupational certificates and the decision to disconnect water and power supplies to the building.