SC stays proceeding against Chavan in paid-news case

Maharashtra’s former chief minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday received a relief after the Supreme Court stayed the proceedings against him by the Election commision (EC). The EC was to proceed on a complaint made by former minister Madhav Kinhalkar and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Chavan that he had under valued his election expenses. The apex court also sent notices to the BJP and the EC. Chavan, who had resigned on November 9 last year, is one of the accused in the Adarsh scam.

Wen contacted Chavan declined to comment on on Thursday's apex court order. The court would hear the matter on December 2. A complaint filed before the EC by Madhav Kinhalkar, an independent candidate, who lost the Bhokar Assembly seat in 2009 assembly elections, challenged Chavan's claim that he had spent around Rs 11,000 on placing advertisements during his campaign.

The complaint said that Chavan paid money to some Marathi and Hindi newspapers during the 2009 elections to write in his favour. He also did not account properly in his expenditure return the money paid to the newspapers for such advertisements which were masqueraded as news items, it said.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had also petitioned the EC on the issue.